May 30 2008
Why Not Everyone Loves Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is still generating lots of buzz for netizens worldwide mainly because people still haven’t
agreed upon the exact definition for it. Nevertheless, it is obvious to most people that Web 2.0 is here to stay for a long, long time. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on you.
The Less Talked About Disadvantages of Web 2.0
There are more articles online discussing the pros or benefits that Web 2.0 offers than those tackling its faults or flaws – if they do exist, that is. Web 2.0 simply represents next-generation websites: these websites have existed for quite some time, already, but it’s only recently that a term has been specifically coined for them.
Web 2.0 generally refers to websites that make special use of user-generated and user-managed content.
At first glance, Web 2.0 is all things positive for the Internet and its netizens…or is it?
Hackability – Due to the essential design of Web 2.0 websites or applications, they are more vulnerable to
getting hacked. This can be quite a concern if you’re storing highly confidential information on your website or if you’re still unaware of basic dos and don’ts to protect the content of your website.
Targeting Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Markets – Some have tagged Web 2.0 for focusing primarily on DIY netizens online. They say that Web 2.0 is only useful for people who wish to make every aspect of their websites – or blogs, social networking profiles, and wikis for that matter – completely their own.
But others have greatly disagreed with this. True enough, Web 2.0 can be of great help to DIY netizens but its benefits aren’t exclusively theirs. Web 2.0 also allows users to benefit from sharing information with other people, and with that definition alone, they obviously aren’t doing things by themselves.
What Advertisers Say – Web 2.0 makes it clear that end-users are its priority and not advertisers or even website owners. This is of course not well-received by advertisers who have long been used to raking in big bucks from traditional advertisements like pop-ups and banner ads. Now, thanks to Web 2.0, they have to exert more creativity and effort in creating minimally intrusive and usually text-based ads that match the content of the website where they’re being displayed.
Web 2.0 also forces big-time advertisers to meet with underdogs in equal standing, and that of course isn’t
something everyone’s happy about.
Second Bubble – Many naysayers fear that Web 2.0 is just another dotcom bubble doomed to failure and destined to take along many people with them. They are wary of the buzz surrounding Web 2.0 and fear that people’s expectations of it are higher than it should be. They believe that many people are cashing on it too early and with too little knowledge, doing their best to create products without pertinent business models.
The Controversy Surrounding Wikipedia – It is impossible to discuss the disadvantages associated with Web 2.0 without mentioning the academic criticisms being received by Wikipedia. Experts criticize Wikipedia for not being able to provide “accurate and factual information,” (i.e. based on scholarly information). Scholars and other academic professionals repeatedly bash Wikipedia for its inaccuracy.
One does, wonder, however if the main reason why these academic professionals are so concerned is due to the power that Wikipedia yields. Wikipedia offers free access to information and because of this, it could, in a way, destablilize the educating power held by academic institutions.
Here is where this lesson ends for today. We really hope you enjoyed this lesson too.
You will receive the next lesson in 7 days. Next week’s lesson will have the following title:
“Will Web 2.0 Die This 2008?”
Copyright(C) 2008 by John Delavera & Reimund Lube