You've likely heard the term, but like most people, you can't quite grasp the concept of Web 2.0.

This is because the term entails not only technologies like AJAX - which combines the power of JavaScript and XML, but also social interactions using the web.

AJAX Tech

In terms of technology, Web 2.0 provides functionality that would otherwise have been either tedious, impossible or worst of all - non-SEO friendly!  For example, you'll notice that on the menu system above - the additional options fade in.  Traditionally this could have been done in Flash - with the primary drawback being that Google doesn't like Flash.

By using a JavaScript framework, many of the nice 'Flash-style' effects can still be achieved, without sacrificing Google placement.  The key is that Google can't index (or even read) text embedded in Flash.  JavaScript maintains the text in the menus, so that Google can easily see it and give your site additional 'keyword' points as a result.

This site is populated with some great examples of what the AJAX framework (in this case mootools) provides.  At the top right of the screen, just next to the search field - you'll see three small icons.  They represent another great application of Web 2.0 technology.  In the past, Web developers had to consider that people viewing sites may be on very different size and resolution monitors.  So to ensure that all of their content would be seen, they would either make the page a fixed width, or they would make it a fluid width.

This simply means that either you saw the site centered (or left aligned) on the page, or that it stretched to fill the screen.  While both basic layouts have a place, some simple AJAX allows to have both and in realtime.

If you click the left-most box, it shrinks the page down to the smaller of two settings.  This may be ideal if you're on a computer with a very small screen or set to a low resolution.  The middle button denotes the standard size the page should be viewed at - while the right button changes the page to a fluid width.  The fluid width simply means that as you resize your browser window, the page automatically adjusts in size.

There are many other AJAX based effects implemented in this site, and they reflect Dijital Media's approach to building sites that borrow from the best technologies of the day and implement them in ways that make the web more accessible to all.

Community

This additional data helps to create strategies that will likely have a much higher degree of success. Sites like Facebook and MySpace have seen astronomical success by creating online communities that are user-driven. IBM recently released a whitepaper that does a great job of explaining how a businesses can utilize the many facets of Web 2.0

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