Web 2.0
Sometime in 2004, the concepts that are the foundation of Web 2.0 emerged.
Open Source code was gathering steam. Collaboration in a thing called a Wiki allowed content to grow without waiting for one source to build it. The podcast was born - allowing just about everybody to add audio content to their web. The blog emerged as a way to have a web that was updated in just minutes. This was allowed by another innovation - CSS (cascading style sheets) which in essence separated the content from the style. Once the design was set for a site (or blog) non-designers could add text and photos without any concern for consistency or appearance. The CSS code formatted their contributions beautifully.
Then the mashup and APIs added to the 2.0 powerhouse. The concept of grouping web applications together and offering them for free to web sites changed customer or user interface. The Google maps API was the big leader in this area.
JavaScript, a powerful code that is simple and relatively small and quick to load also provided designers a new free power to animate their sites without large Flash files. Most JavaScript libraries are free and easy to download and implement.
In addition the database driven sites prove far more useful and engaging than the Web 1.0 static page sites. By using php code to call information from databases, sites are far easier to keep current. In addition, AJAX allows calls to the databases for just portions of a web page making the page quicker to load and immediately responsive to client input.
It all adds up to a significant shift in how the web is being recreated and used - and a better client experience. Below are some links showing the amount of innovation currently in the Web 2.0 arena.
Web 2.0 Links