Our First “Blogoposium” - Communicating the Ideas behind ‘Web 2.0′

“Web 2.0″ is one of the hottest topics within the technical community. There has been some interesting research recently done in trying to capture exactly what Web 2.0 actually is. Richard MacManus, widely hailed as the Father of Web 2.0, is in many ways pioneering the analysis and research needed to provide a framework for explaining Web 2.0. Others like Will Pate and company have created a community resource for exploring “the evolving space of Web 2.0″.

One of the generally accepted definitions behind the term “Web 2.0″ is ‘the web as platform’. But as Dave Winer recently alludes to, Web 2.0 seems to be more a concept than anything else (although I am certain there are many who would disagree with him).

That is not the real problem though. Instead, it is the general disconnect between the average user and those who have heard of or understand what Web 2.0 is or is becoming. Many businesses and organizations are still struggling with Web 1.0 - terms like RSS, tagging and folksonomy, “the long tail”, and AJAX are not even on their radar screen.

Perhaps more importantly, what does the phrase “Web 2.0″ communicate to the non-technical community? Does it imply that there will be a “Web 3.0″ or “Web 8.5″ one day? Is this really the best way to articulate the next evolution of web technologies? Is Web 2.0 just “a marketing concept used by venture capitalists and conference promoters to try to call another bubble into existence” as Dave Winer suggests?

Thus, the focus of my first “blogoposium” is to spur some debate in addressing (and not necessarily ‘answering’) these types of questions. The general theme is Communicating the Ideas behind Web 2.0. I’d encourage those who participate (details on how to do so follow below) to really think about this topic from the perspective of the most non-technical users - the friend who still needs help with email, the client who is hesitant to use new technology, or the family member who still does not know what a blog is.

How to Participate

First, a brief definition - a “blogoposium” is a word I created (Google proof and the newest domain to my growing collection) that allows those in the blogosphere to simultaneously blog on the same topic (OK - the word is new, the idea is not). It leverages the power of tagging and social bookmarking to provide an easy way for everyone to not only participate in but also to keep track of the conversation.

The blogoposium will start on Wednesday, September 28th and run through Friday, September 30th. There are several different ways to get your voice heard in this discussion:

1. Tag Your Post - Since this blogoposium is the first of many that I hope to “host”, I have created a Technorati tag called blogoposium1. Simply tag your post with blogoposium1 to get involved in this blogoposium. The idea is to create subsequent tags in the future - “blogoposium2″, “blogoposium3″, etc. but that will depend on whether or not people usurp them prior to the next topic - please don’t!
2. Tag Relevant Articles - Using del.icio.us (although I have been blinking lately), tag relevant items for this blogoposium to “blogoposium1″. I will be monitoring this the blogoposium1 tag and may highlight some of the more interesting thoughts.
3. Trackback this Post - Use this permalink within your post on the blogoposium topic (using this link in your post should create an automagic trackback). For those not using WordPress, however, the safest way to get tracked is to use this trackback. The first 30 trackbacks will receive a complimentary copy of the advanced uncorrected proof of Seth Godin’s The Big Moo (the book doesn’t come out till October). Similar to TechCrunch, I’ll foot the bill for shipping for those of you in U.S. or Canada and ask $5 for those outside there. If you see you are within the first 30, drop me a line with your shipping address. Limit one book per blogger.

Or you can simply leave a comment below…I look forward to everyone’s thoughts and to a successful blogoposium future with you!

P.S. - Depending on how this first blogoposium goes, there will be some ways you can get involved in the future, so make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed.