We see an article like this from the Web 2.0 crowd almost every day.
The Web 2.0 mindset is about using the wisdom of crowds to develop better software, designing simple and straightforward applications efficiently in response to user inclination, and sharing that technology so that others can build upon it.
There has been a fundamental shift in the paradigm of how we think about and use the Web. Instead of reading static web pages, users are now cataloging their personal libraries, organizing their favorite bookmarks, writing online documents, and sharing their information with others through new generation social software. What began with blogs and wikis has blossomed into an all-encompassing and standard phenomenon of sharing, collaboration, and user involvement.
I don’t know about you but I’ve never used a "Web 2.0" application. Web 2.0 is an excuse to regurgitate the same kind of junk we saw in "Web 1.0" but with a few pastel colours and DHTML effects. For example, take Ajax Whois which is a standard Whois website without a Submit button. The list of news aggregators grows daily, yet none of them actually have anything new.
I’ve lost count of how many social bookmarking, news aggregator, personal information management, social networking "Web 2.0" sites there are. With a new one being released every day, and almost all of them being in Beta (which just wastes everybody’s time), it’s impossible to tell which services will stay online, which services will be popular, and which will close. I consider myself quite web-savvy and I’ve not caught on to "Web 2.0". The rest of the internet – mums, dads, grandparents aren’t going to go mad over "Web 2.0".
Web 2.0 isn’t about making great applications, it’s not a new mindset and certainly not a whole new paradigm. Web 2.0 is about getting your personal information. Every calendar, bookmarking, networking site out there is out to get your information – your favourite websites, your friends, your appointments. Are Web 2.0 (BETA) Applications really stable and cool enough to deserve your information?
I recall you’ve used Gmail before, saying you’ve never used a Web 2.0 app is a bit of an overstatement.
I have my own opionons on Web 2.0 and frankly: I don’t care if it’s Web 2.0 or not.
I mean, the site can use Ajax that’s fine, it CAN make the UI easier to use, but I don’t then them to stick the buzzwords Ajax and Web 2.0 in my face!
Let me do whatever I came to the site to do. If my browser doesn’t have JavaScript enabled, still allow me to use the service! (Take your WYSIWYG editor for example, it goes to a simple textarea if I disable JavaScript).
My whole post here, on my blog I seem to have stoped posting on: http://justinshreve.com/5-web-better basicly sums up my views.
Honestly, I agree. People need to stop using shitty buzzwords like this, it’s a bit of Ajax.
And what’s with the "social" applications thing, isn’t the whole internet about being "social"?
Nice post Justin
Shitlistr: Cool Web 2.0 app