How do you know if something is Web 2.0?

by Johnny Debacle

Web 2.0 is on the tips of fingers and lips of influentierati across the web. But how do you know if you, a product of yours, an investment of yours or a service you use is Web 2.0? This handy reference sheet will help guide you.

Update 2-16-06: We are now making this the The Official Anti-Web 2.0 Wiki, so if you have your own definitions for Web 2.0, text comment below or trackback, and you will be added and credited.

Is it a Web 1.0 idea repackaged, reinvested in, and resold as a new content delivery paradigm social calendar platform?

It is Web 2.0!

Does it talk about community or social networking without any natural way of accomplishing it?

It is Web 2.0!

Does it have philosophical acolytes pumping it as something groundbreaking and new, when it is really just an ajax UI on a useless service?

It is Web 2.0!

Is it in the montage talked about in this 9rules post?

It is Web 2.0!

Do the 12-14 Venture Capitalists (who own it, sit on its board, and (together) own another 12-14 similar companies) all regularly feature the company on their personal blogs?

It is Web 2.0!

Is their only exit strategy to be “strategically acquired” by an uninspired former-cutting-edge Web 1.0 company (or the GOOG)?

It is Web 2.0!

Does it value form over function, and function over value add?

It is Web 2.0!

Is it eating Feedburner’s dust?

It is Web 2.0!

Hurray to the Brave New Web. As an aside, I’m looking forward to the Web 8.0 wave which will occur somewhere around 2020. At that time, the Kurzweil singularity will be upon us and the current generation of social networking programs such as My Space, Friendster and LinkedIn will become sentient and join their own social networking network for social networking programs called MyDestroyHumanityster.com.


Via Mitch Radcliff’es ZDNet Blog

Can you describe it only with superlatives that, if eliminated leave no substance, e.g. "it’s a ground-breaking form of engaging transformation of data" becomes "it’s a form of data"?

It is Web 2.0!

Are you breathing it now? Like air, you can’t monetize it, but eventually we’ll have a business plan.

It is Web 2.0!

Is the lead (or sole) engineer independently wealthy?

It is Web 2.0!

Does the UI require a new programming language or substantial hack on an existing language to deliver functionality that was available in Java or Flash?

It is Web 2.0!

Is there a door-turned-into-a-desk, just like Web 1.0 companies had, but this one has bumperstickers on it?

It is Web 2.0!

Have you seen the founder’s bedroom? Is it next to the company lunch room? Are these factors key to the projected high margins touted in the executive summary?

It is Web 2.0!

Have you read about the company on a collaboratively filtered news aggregators and, if so, is that aggregator owned by the founder?

It is Web 2.0!

Could humans do the same data processing work in half the time?

It is Web 2.0!

Does the exit strategy anticipate calculating multiples in terms of nonpaying beta customer sign-ups?

It is Web 2.0!

Does the founder worry that Google could build the same thing by giving the project to a single engineer for 10 percent of their time a few days? 

It is Web 2.0!


Via rbitar

Are 13 others doing the same thing?

It is Web 2.0!


Via Kaiser Edamame

Is there a version 1.0 and a version 1.1?

It is Web 2.0!


Via gapingvoid

(Works best if “hurrah” is read in a sarcastic tone)

Add your own below or via trackback!



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Comments

  1. rbitar
    February 16th, 2006 | 10:55 pm

    Are 13 others doing the same thing?

    It is Web 2.0!

  2. February 17th, 2006 | 12:17 pm

    Practical questions to analyze websites 😉

  3. March 5th, 2006 | 3:56 pm

    Two web, or not two web! I made blog and has some visitors who is blogger vs nobody from search engeans.