Web 2.0

http://www.fuelinteractive.com/blog/800px-Web_2.0_Map.svg.png




I've been doing research about Web 2.0 in order to get an idea of what works on the web today, and to see how I can harness web 2.0 principles in my own site. The main thrust of my site is to connect home English tutors with each other in order to help them become better tutors- this can be done by sharing lesson resources, motivating through personal stories and messages, and reducing the feeling of isolation by facilitating the organisation of events. So how can I use 2.0 principles to make this work. Here are a couple of ideas...

All quotes taken from: O'Reilly, Tim (2005) What is Web 2.0: Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software. http://oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=1

http://blogs.voices.com/thebiz/web1vsweb2.png

"The central principle behind the success of the giants born in the Web 1.0 era who have survived to lead the Web 2.0 era appears to be this, that they have embraced the power of the web to harness collective intelligence"
"The competitive opportunity for new entrants is to fully embrace the potential of Web 2.0. Companies that succeed will create applications that learn from their users, using an architecture of participation to build a commanding advantage not just in the software interface, but in the richness of the shared data"
I really like this. In fact I see this as integral to my site. I want my members to share their experiences and skills with each other. I'm worried I don't have the skills to make a site that will effectively do this. I'd love some suggestions!

"At its most basic, a blog is just a personal home page in diary format. But as Rich Skrenta notes, the chronological organization of a blog "seems like a trivial difference, but it drives an entirely different delivery, advertising and value chain.""
I can definitely see the value in blogging on my site if all members can contribute to it- or perhaps if they had their own pages. If they can't I'm not sure it will be relevant to my site.

" Database management is a core competency of Web 2.0 companies, so much so that we have sometimes referred to these applications as "infoware" rather than merely software."
While this article refers to major websites with sophisticated data, the concept of compiling and supplying useful data to my users is quite important. The potential to collate and share lesson resources, possibly even using the idea of a 'folksonomy' with user generated tags is worth exploring.

"Operations must become a core competency." and "Users must be treated as co-developer". Ultimately, the success of the site lies in its ability to be a service, not a product. Along with this, the content has to constantly evolve.

"substituting a simple pragmatism for ideal design"
Keep it simple- simple, light weight technologies are successful. Ultimately, I don't think this will be a problem since I will only be capable of developing simple technologies. However, the principle of keeping it simple (for the user) will be useful.

"One other feature of Web 2.0 that deserves mention is the fact that it's no longer limited to the PC platform."
At this stage, it is not a primary goal to develop my site for an exhaustive list of platforms but it is worth thinking about the scalability of my site.


I also had a look at another site that deals exclusively with 2.0 graphic design. It has quite a bit of food for thought, and I may use it quite a bit when I get to the design stage:
http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/web-design/web-2.0-design-style-guide.php#simplicity


So all of this raises some questions for me that you may be able to help with:
- What will it take to create a blog that all site members to contribute to? Can you rss a blog that requires registration to read it? With very basic skills, can I learn them quick enough to do it?
- What about users uploading lesson activities- how hard will this be? Format?
- Can I embed delicious links in my site and can other users update this- what form??
- Forums? How does that work?
- What other suggestions have you got for 'easy' and 'simple' (but useful!) user contribution and interaction?
I'd love your help!!!!