Basic Things That Developers Must Avoid
While Ajax has been the subject of hype for its ability to make web applications much more interactive, with power comes responsibility, and Ajax can be dangerous in the hands of developers who do not know how to use it properly. While Ajax has a great deal of potential, it is far from being perfect. There are a number of UI problems that can occur with Ajax applications, and some of these problems are server sided in nature. There are a lot of mistakes that developers can make when using Ajax, and it is important for you to avoid them. One of the most common mistakes that developers make is using Ajax just because it is one of the hottest tools available on the web.

If you’re going to use Ajax, you should take into consideration more than just the hype which surrounds the tool. While Ajax may be the latest web application tool, it is not a toy. However, many of the applications which are being developed by Ajax have no useful purpose. They are designed simply because the developer things they are cool, but they offer absolutely nothing to the common user. While these applications might be fun for a certain period of time, I think it could be argued that they don’t have a great deal of longevity as far as applications are concerned.

Dealing With The Back Button
The back button is not a bad feature for most web page interfaces. The problem is, the back button doesn’t work well with JavaScript, one of the technologies which make up Ajax. A wish to maintain the back button function is one of the key reasons why it may not be a good idea to create an app that is 100 percent JavaScript. Another thing that developers will want to pay attention to is a failure to give instant visual indicators for clicking on a widget. If a user click on something that creates an Ajax action, that user should be given a clue that something is going on.

One example of a program that uses this properly is Gmail. The button is located on the right side of the top page, and when you do something in Gmail, a small red box will show that the page is loading. This is done because Ajax doesn’t use the standard cues which show that a page is being loaded. Doing this is very important, for it will show that the application is user friendly. Now that I’ve talked about this, I will next want to address the issue of leaving behind people who are offline. Web programs are pushing the boundaries farther each day, and some have said that all applications must be moved online.

The Transition From Offline to Online Applications
There are a number of reasons why many developers feel that virtually all applications should be moved from offline to online. Some of these reasons include global access, the configuration and maintenance, and the learning curve, which has a tendency to be shorter for web applications when compared to desktop applications. However, there are a number of issues that must be considered. First, not everyone has a broadband Internet connection. The vast majority of the people in the world are still using dial up, and only a small percentage are using Internet connections which are broadband or faster.

For the people who use slower connections, being force to only use web based applications can be tedious and irritating. Also, there is the possibility that some people will prefer to use these applications offline. Developers who want to succeed with Ajax must prepare for this. If you decide to simply leave these people behind, you will dramatically reduce your potential user base. Offline access should always be considered even when a web based application is being developed. Anyone who is familiar with Gmail knows that it uses POP, a feature that is not web based.

Users Don’t Want to Wait For Ajax
The biggest mistake that developers can make is developing their applications in a way that forces users to wait. This is one of the biggest downsides to Flash. A lot of webmasters build Flash intros to their site, and while users may watch these intros the first time around, they can become annoying after a few visits, because all they do is waste time. Even if you are able to click on a button to skip the Flash intro, this still takes time. With Ajax, developers must get past fancy animations and focus on functions.

How To Prepare Your Website For Web 2.0
Things That Webmasters Must Consider
Web 2.0 is a system that will very likely create a paradigm shift on the web. It will create a transformation so powerful that those who are not prepared for it will be left in the dust, while those who do prepare for it will be on the cutting edge of Internet technology. Because of the hype which surrounds Web 2.0, many people dismiss it for being hype, a new techie buzz word that will eventually die out. However, if you can get beneath the hype which surrounds Web 2.0, you will find that there is something tangible under the surface. It is this factor that makes Web 2.0 even more powerful than all the buzz that surrounds it.

The concept for Web 2.0 was first introduced during a conference. MediaLive International and O’Reilly were brainstorming ideas, and this is what they came up with. They spent a great deal of time studying companies that had successfully survived the dot com bust. What they found was very surprising. They discovered that many of the companies that survived the bust had a great deal in common. These companies were a part of a radical change that was taking over the Internet, and the term they used to describe this change was Web 2.0. They felt that this change was significant because it allowed the user to be responsible for the distribution of information.

How Web 2.0 Allowed Many Companies To Survive The Dot-Com Bust
A common definition for Web 2.0 largely describes why it was so successful in allowing companies to survive the bust, even if the term hadn’t been coined yet. The reason for this was simple: Web 2.0 gives the user an experience which is very similar to that of a desktop program. Features such as web syndication and web service APIs allow users to easily publish information on a variety of different topics. Some of the tools which are commonly associated with this phenomenon include wikis and blogs. As you can see, there was a demand in the late 1990s where the consumer was given an experience that was similar to a desktop program, and this demand also included the ability to self publish.

The companies who were able to meet these demands prospered, while those who didn’t failed, and went out of business shortly after the dot com bust. One example of a company that survived the bust was Amazon. While Amazon had been in existence since 1996, the company was quick to catch on to the changes that were taking place on the web, and they capitalized on them. Amazon gave users the ability to write their own reviews on the book and products the company sold, and this allowed other users to determine whether or not they should buy the products. In addition to this, Amazon created a powerful affiliate program.

Understanding Web 2.0
Some of the other online companies that successfully use Web 2.0 principles include eBay, YouTube, MySpace, and Wikipedia. What do all of these websites have in common? They all give power to the individual user to upload and edit information. Instead of the company providing everything to the user, the company simply allows users to distribute information and communicate with each other. It is this principle that has allowed these companies to become highly successful. They stopped trying to spoon feed everything to consumers, and allowed users to feed information to each other.

This is one of the most important principles behind Web 2.0. Once you get past all the buzz, this is where makes the system stand out from other techie buzz words. The ability of users to communicate with each other is what makes the Web 2.0 extremely powerful, and if webmasters prepare for it, they will become successful, and avoid the fate that many online companies faced during the dot-com bust.

Conclusion
Because it has become easier to build static websites in recent years, it is harder for webmasters to find the type of success that early websites had during the 1990s. Building a static website with SEO is no longer enough to make your online company a success. To succeed, you must embrace Web 2.0 principles.

How Web 2.0 can be useful for Enterprises
The Hype which surrounds the Term
It could be argued that Web 2.0 is one of the most hyped words on the Internet these days. It has been subject to attack from a variety of different sources, and some have said that it has little substance. While many writers spend a great deal of time talking about ideological Web 2.0 concepts, I want to break away from this trend and focus on writing about it from an aspect that is most important to enterprises, and this is how it can be used to make money. Before I can do this, it would first be helpful to define Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 can be defined in two ways, and this is from a technical standpoint and an ideological one. A technical definition of Web 2.0 would be a system that is connected to the proliferation of web based platforms, and these include CSS, AJAX, and RSS. Web 2.0 is a collection of technologies that allow data to be distributed. The ideological definition of Web 2.0 would be a system that values user generated content, allowing this information to be spread throughout the web. Now that I’ve defined Web 2.0 from a technical and ideological standpoint, I will now demonstrate its value to enterprises.

Applications for Web 2.0 among Enterprises
When many companies learn about Web 2.0 for the first time, they are concerned that it will weaken their ability to make money. This is a misconception, and the companies that feel this way are looking at the web in the way it existed during the 1990s. When you consider the fact that the most valuable online companies are those that utilize Web 2.0 principles, it should be easy to see why it can be highly profitable for companies that choose to use it. One good example of this is Wikipedia.

From the standpoint of the average Internet user, Wikipedia is a completely free site. There are no membership fees to pay, and you don’t have to pay to download anything. To the casual observer, it would appear that Wikipeda can’t make any money for those who run it. However, to believe this would be a grave mistake. First, Wikipedia has one of the highest traffic rankings of any website on the Internet. It is clearly worth millions of dollars, and recently, Wikipedia asked for donations from its users. I watched as the donation amount climbed from $300,000 to over $1 million. This does not take into consideration the advertising value of the site.

Why Enterprises must Embrace Web 2.0
As you can see, a free site like Wikipedia is actually worth millions, and it can raise millions in donations. To thrive with Web 2.0, enterprises must be willing to give up control over the ability to spoon feed all their content to users. They must accept the fact that users want to view content presented by other users. This does not mean that everything on the site has to be generated by the user. It just means that a sizeable amount of the content should be. If an enterprise is able to create a community in which the users can submit and view the content of other users, they will be rewarded handsomely.

It is also important for these sites to be free to access. Despite the fact that you don’t have to pay to join MySpace, Rupert Murdoch paid over $500 million to acquire it. Despite the fact that YouTube does not charge its users to join or upload videos, Google paid over $1 billion to acquire. On the Internet, the word “free” means everything. People love getting free memberships to popular sites. Even if the website doesn’t make a lot of money on the front end, they can make money through donations and the sheer size of the site.

Web 2.0 Promises Dramatic Changes
More and more Internet users wish to create their own individual identities on the web. It is for this reason that forums and online games are so popular. Over the Internet, some degree of individuality is important. If enterprises wish to succeed, they must understand online trends, and they must cater to the needs of the individual user.

The Beginning

The introduction of Web 2.0 has created a boom in Silicon Valley. Thousands of Internet companies are being launched, and many of these companies are bringing in outside investors to acquire capital for their ventures. Many of the established companies like Yahoo have taken the step of buying out Web 2.0 companies like Flickr. Many websites have began branding themselves as being Web 2.0, and they have seen a rampant rise in popularity. In some cases, many of these new online companies are surpassing the older websites in terms of traffic and popularity. The success of many Web 2.0 websites could be described as being viral in nature.  

However, when many people hear about this term, they are skeptical about the hype which surrounds it. SEOmoz has taken the time to identify Web 2.0 websites that are popular, and it has given awards to the best websites within various categories. It is hoped by this award that more online companies will take the time to embrace core Web 2.0 concepts. While even many of the founders of the Internet have been skeptical about the introduction of Web 2.0, all the evidence shows that it is truly a legitimate phenomenon, something that will allow the Internet to evolve.

Web 2.0 is a Paradigm, Not a Technology

Many of the people who have criticized Web 2.0 are those who look at it from a technical perspective. Because they don’t see any fundamental changes within the infrastructure of the Internet, they automatically assume that Web 2.0 is little more than a buzz word. However, this is a mistake. To fully understand Web 2.0, you must get beyond looking at it from a technical standpoint. Web 2.0 is not a technology. It is a collection of technology that is changing the way people use the web. It has turned the Internet from a place “where people receive information.” to a place where people “contribute to the distribution of information.”

The goal of Web 2.0 is to give power to the user. Instead of being a mere spectator, the user becomes the most important factor in the continuity of the website. Companies which use Web 2.0 principles are those which place an emphasis on the creation of a community. Perhaps the best example of this is MySpace. This company has given users the ability to create a profile of themselves on the web, and it has also allowed these users to communicate with each other, creating a digital community of epic proportions. Despite the fact that the website is free of charge to join, it is still worth over half a billion dollars.

Web 2.0 Characteristics

There are a number of things which make Web 2.0 companies distinct from companies that do not use Web 2.0 principles. These websites have their own characteristics, and these characteristics differentiate their website from those that use Web 1.0 technology. One such characteristic is the ability of the user to upload their own content. Instead of being spoon fed information from one source, all the users are able to contribute to the community. The second characteristic of Web 2.0 is the ability of companies to use the web as a platform in which applications can be built.

Unlike desktop applications, which are built on the platform of a computer and its operating system, Web 2.0 applications will use the platform of the Internet itself. Also, many Web 2.0 websites will use the same programming languages. Many of these websites will use things such as Ajax or RSS. Even the visual design of many of these websites will be similar. Most importantly, Web 2.0 will take advantage of existing Internet trends such as P2P, blogging, and wikis.

Web 2.0 Gives The Power to The People

In a day and age where governments around the world are seeking to gain more control over the Internet, Web 2.0 is a technology that will complete destroy these attempts. Once Web 2.0 because fully realized, people will not accept a “cable tv” Internet, and it is likely they won’t accept it now. Web 2.0 will reinforce the idea that the Internet is a truly democratic system where anyone can share ideas without fear of censorship or ridicule. It is these factors that will allow Web 2.0 to become greatly popular.