Why "Web 2.0" deserves to be a buzzword

I remember seeing the Web 2.0 buzzword a while ago and not quite getting it. I am generally annoyed by buzzwords because most of them are just rattled off by people in the IT world who are trying to gain respect without doing any of the work. But now I understand why it deserves to be a buzzword. People who understand the Web 2.0 initiative know that it’s about using existing Web technologies, but developing Web sites from an entirely new perspective.

As we developers get more and more sophisticated, we start to understand the true flexibility behind Web technology. The Web isn’t just about HTML. The Web is also XML syndication (RSS, ATOM, etc.), mobile devices, and Web services. And without a doubt, the Web will communicate information in new formats and on new devices in the not-so-distant future.

We need to start thinking about presenting information in formats outside of HTML. We need to think of all the different ways to communicate our information. This will force smart developers to adopt coding methodologies that allow for maximum reuse of their code in all of the different presentation formats. This will also get decision-makers to consider new ways of getting their Web site’s information communicated through new information channels.

If you are a marketer or decision maker, start playing around with RSS feeds and ask your techno geek about the possibilities of Web services. You could be missing out on some services that would please your audience.

If you are a web developer, do the same, but start learning the guts of the technologies themselves. Also, do yourself a favor and start learning about object oriented programming and ways of abstracting data for maximum reuse. You will soon be presenting your data in more than HTML, and you will feel much pain when maintaining code if you don’t have it segmented off into some kind of data abstraction framework.