What Is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 describes the current state of the web, which supports more user-generated content and stability for front-end users than its predecessor, Web 1.0. 

Web 2.0 does not refer to any specific technical upgrades, but rather to a shift in how the internet is used. There is a higher level of information sharing and interconnectedness between participants. If Web 1.0 was a read-only internet, then Web 2.0 is a read-write internet.

Users are able to enter a range of information into web fields and send it back to servers, so they can communicate with hosting servers in real-time. A user can access information, as well as send information back to the server in order to receive more targeted information or view other user-generated results. 

Many web providers have been able to harness this interactivity to transform software and web services. Web 2.0 also marked a huge shift to cloud technology, as abstracting server hardware enabled companies to become more ambitious in developing their web-delivered services.

The nature of this technology makes it simple, as well as popular, to communicate information to either a select group of people or to a wider audience. Successful Web 2.0 applications include wikis, blogs and social networking platforms. Among the most popular are YouTube, Facebook and Wikipedia, to name just a few.