Web developers have created the Web that we are all used to and what we see is what we get. Who would have thought that there would come a time when we could customize the websites in which we browse? Web 2.0 changes the way in which web developers create websites and how the end-users use them. With Web 2.0, end-users are able to be more interactive with the web pages that they browse; tagging is an example of this.
In Larry Becker’s article, “Keeping your eye on the 2.0 user”, Amazon.com was used as an example of how Web 2.0 is changing the web pages we browse. On Amazon.com, users are able to tag the products and pages that they like. This allows other users to browse the website based on what other users have tagged and can allow products to be categorized in a manner that is more easily navigated.
This could be economically beneficial to the companies who have these websites that allow the end-users to be interactive. End-users could tag products and pages in a way that makes it easier for other users to find these products. However, allowing users to be interactive with these web pages can have the opposite effect. Becker’s article gives an example of how these taggings can be harmful. On Amazon.com one of the tags is “defectivebydesign”. When you click on this tag, it leads you to a page where customers have chosen products that they say are defective. This could lead in the loss of sales on these products.
I believe that the pros outweigh the cons with Web 2.0. User’s are more likely to revisit a website that they can customize the way in which they want, than a site that they can’t find what it is they are looking for. There have been many times that I have been searching the Internet for certain products and when I try to go back to them, I cannot find them. This becomes very frustrating and time consuming. If I had been allowed to tag them, I would have been able to go back to that product to purchase it, instead I would give up and I would not purchase anything. This resulted in a loss of a sale for that company and I am sure that if it happened to me, then it has happened to a lot of other people.
The Internet is growing and improving everyday, this is the same with all technology. Although it does not seem like it, it was not that long ago that the world did not have the web to communicate or gather information. Every year the web improves in some way, Web 2.0 is one of these improvements. This will allow the web to become more user friendly which will in turn create more business for companies who have websites online. I believe that Web 2.0 will eventually become the user preferred way to view the web. Welcome to the future of the web!
References
Becker, Larry (2007, Jan). Multichannel Merchant. Keeping your eye on the 2.0 user.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Importance of Keeping the Web Open and Free
It is hard to believe that about 18 years ago, the world was able to function without the use of the World Wide Web. Companies were able to do business, people were able to keep in touch, and bills were paid. However, the invention of the World Wide Web made these things a great deal easier and more convenient.
Most people associate the World Wide Web with Bill Gates, however this is incorrect. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and it was launched in 1991. “Instead of patenting his invention, Berners-Lee -- who has always been determined to keep the web from falling into private hands -- made it freely available to all” (Leonard, 2005). Tim Berners-Lee believed that if he had charged people for the use of the World Wide Web it would not have taken off as it did.
Although there is a great deal of money that could possibly be made by charging for the use of the Web, the amount of information that users access could be affected. One of the reasons Tim Berners-Lee wants to see the Web remain free is so that users are able to access all the information that is available on the Web. A service provider could sign an agreement with vendors and only allow their subscribers access to the information provided by those vendors. These subscribers may not be aware that the information he or she is receiving has been limited. In an email to Kevin Coughlin in October of 2005, Tim Berners-Lee stated, “the ability to see what is out there, unscreened, is utterly necessary, and is what the Web is really about” (Coughlin, 2005).
The World Wide Web that world knows could have been designed differently had the Internet not been open. Jim Rapoza made some valid suggestions about how the Web could have been designed more like cell phone or satellite TV networks. Jim Rapoza gave this scenario, “Hey, I hear there's this great search engine called Google that supposedly works really well and offers all kinds of cool online apps. Problem is, you have to be a Verizon customer to get it. And if I leave Verizon, I won't be able to access the eBay auction site anymore, because that's a Comcast-only site” (Rapoza, 2007).
Looking at the way in which the World Wide Web benefits the world created in the way it was, open and free, it is easy to see that it is as it should be. People should be able to access all the information that is available and for free. The Web helps businesses grow, children learn, and it helps people keep in touch with each other. The World Wide Web has been and will continue to be a great asset to our world as long as it remains open and free.
References
Kevin Coughlin Newhouse News Service (2005, October 5). THE WEB MUST REMAIN FREE; INVENTOR: LACK OF FEES KEY TO GROWTH :[Final Edition]. The Post - Standard,p. F4. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 907154131).
Jim Rapoza (2007, March). Berners-Lee's Talk Goes Back to the Web's Future; Opinion: Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web and director of the World Wide Web Consortium, presents a good argument for net neutrality. eWeek,1. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1271232151).
Tom Leonard (2005, March 6). The man who invented the web: :[Final Edition]. The Province,p. B7. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Canadian Newsstand Core database. (Document ID: 804427751).
Most people associate the World Wide Web with Bill Gates, however this is incorrect. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and it was launched in 1991. “Instead of patenting his invention, Berners-Lee -- who has always been determined to keep the web from falling into private hands -- made it freely available to all” (Leonard, 2005). Tim Berners-Lee believed that if he had charged people for the use of the World Wide Web it would not have taken off as it did.
Although there is a great deal of money that could possibly be made by charging for the use of the Web, the amount of information that users access could be affected. One of the reasons Tim Berners-Lee wants to see the Web remain free is so that users are able to access all the information that is available on the Web. A service provider could sign an agreement with vendors and only allow their subscribers access to the information provided by those vendors. These subscribers may not be aware that the information he or she is receiving has been limited. In an email to Kevin Coughlin in October of 2005, Tim Berners-Lee stated, “the ability to see what is out there, unscreened, is utterly necessary, and is what the Web is really about” (Coughlin, 2005).
The World Wide Web that world knows could have been designed differently had the Internet not been open. Jim Rapoza made some valid suggestions about how the Web could have been designed more like cell phone or satellite TV networks. Jim Rapoza gave this scenario, “Hey, I hear there's this great search engine called Google that supposedly works really well and offers all kinds of cool online apps. Problem is, you have to be a Verizon customer to get it. And if I leave Verizon, I won't be able to access the eBay auction site anymore, because that's a Comcast-only site” (Rapoza, 2007).
Looking at the way in which the World Wide Web benefits the world created in the way it was, open and free, it is easy to see that it is as it should be. People should be able to access all the information that is available and for free. The Web helps businesses grow, children learn, and it helps people keep in touch with each other. The World Wide Web has been and will continue to be a great asset to our world as long as it remains open and free.
References
Kevin Coughlin Newhouse News Service (2005, October 5). THE WEB MUST REMAIN FREE; INVENTOR: LACK OF FEES KEY TO GROWTH :[Final Edition]. The Post - Standard,p. F4. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 907154131).
Jim Rapoza (2007, March). Berners-Lee's Talk Goes Back to the Web's Future; Opinion: Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web and director of the World Wide Web Consortium, presents a good argument for net neutrality. eWeek,1. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1271232151).
Tom Leonard (2005, March 6). The man who invented the web: :[Final Edition]. The Province,p. B7. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Canadian Newsstand Core database. (Document ID: 804427751).
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
What This Blog Will Be Used For
I will be using this blog to for school assignments. I might occasionally use it to vent about things that I need to get out or I might just feel like making up stories. You never know :)
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