First there was the Internet. Created by the Department of Defense as a way to be able to communicate and automatically re-route messages during an attack, it evolved from ARPANET in 1969, to early online communities like Prodigy, text only communities like Compuserve, as well as AOL.
Time has passed, and the early beginnings of the text-based Internet has evolved into the what you might have heard of recently as Web 2.0. Geeks and techie types always number things – Version 1.0 being the first version, and newer versions having higher numbers). So Web 2.0 it is – but just what qualifies as “Web 2.0?”
Blogging, online social networks, and online gaming all fall under the umbrella of Web 2.0 They are easy to easy access and use, in contrast to the early days of the Internet. In 1989, for instance, you needed a fairly extensive knowledge of the underlying code used to make a web page (called HTML or XML – acronyms for Hyper Text Markup Language, and eXtended Markup Language). You also had to know how to use FTP to upload the files needed for the web site.
These technical capabilities, while still useful for creating advanced web sites, has been replaced by such things as Blogging, (derived from WeB-Logging) where a few clicks can put your message on the web for anyone to see. Blogging, and the ‘bloggers” have taken the world of the online community by storm.
More popular bloggers have been granted press credentials, and are now considered a legitimate part of the media coverage of almost any news event, politics, or entertainment.
Many of these bloggers have also turned their blogging hobby into real income, as businesses will pay to have their commercials placed on the popular web sites.
Now, with a free account on Blogger (owned by Google), anyone can create a free web log that will be available instantly around the world. Of course, not all bloggers fall into this elite group of paid bloggers. Unless you have interesting ideas, now known as “content,” you will probably not make much money from your blog. Most bloggers use their blog as a convenient way to share photos with family and friends, or write about hobbies, trips they’ve taken, or almost any topic under the sun.
The other biggest use of Web 2.0 is online communities, the most popular of which is Facebook. While initially restricted to only college students, Facebook is now open to all age groups. This part of Web 2.0 has unfortunately been used by unscrupulous persons to contact trusting minors, and parents who have children must be aware of any online community and monitor their use carefully.
Children must be taught never to give personal and contact information to anyone online, no matter how “friendly” the other person seems.
A better alternative for concerned parents are “private” online communities, which restrict communication to only families, specific groups of friends, or clubs. One such site is http://Multiply.com/.
From the web site – “Multiply gives you an easy way to share all kinds of digital media, including photos, blogs, videos, music and more, all in one convenient place: your own personal web site. With Multiply, you can share and discuss your stuff with everyone in your “social network,” and also be alerted whenever they have something new.”
Lastly, I cannot leave out the world of online gaming, which lets players with a paid monthly subscription join a fantasy world and play to gain powers and prestige in a virtual world. One of the most popular of the MMORPG’s (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games) is World of Warcraft. You may have seen television commercials advertising this game. You will need a high-speed cable connection, plus a fairly up-to-date computer to play these games.
As Always, Happy Surfing!