What is Web 2.0 - let's clarify the basics first

Zu "Web 2.0" herrschen verschiedene Auffassungen. Ich möchte meine persönliche Sichtweise darstellen mit einer Beschreibung, die ich vor kurzem im Intranet von Pepper veröffentlicht habe, um dort die Diskussion zum Thema zu starten:

"What the hell is Web 2.0? Definitely much more than a bunch of techniques like blogs, wikis, twitter and so on. These techniques on the first sight do not more than to allow us communicating with each other in a new way. Everybody can receive AND produce nearly each piece of content he likes (not that revolutionary) PLUS he can publish it to an audience that is bigger than every classic media is able to address (THAT'S revolutionary!).

Though this new way of communicating is interesting for itself, it brings us to the much more important topic: in how far things are changing because of new forms of communication. It's about how people change their way INTERACTING with each other: the web 2.0 techniques enables us not only to communicate and interact but to COLLABORATE. The power of the "digital us" enables people all over the world to raise attention, set the agenda, shift attention from old to new media and demand action. And all of this quick, cheap and international.

For my perspective "2.0" works best as a placeholder for human communication beside all bonds and barriers, bringing together decentralised entities in one sphere. It's about the entities' communication and therefore collaboration. It's about them networking with each other. Online, in a virtual sphere, and - inspired by this - in addition also offline in our "real" life. "Crowd sourcing", "collective intelligence", "collaborative innovation management" and many more are additional labels for the various new opportunities.

I suggest to use "2.0" (without the prefix "web") as synonym for all concepts that follow these ideas. Therefore we will see Enterprise 2.0, e-Learning 2.0...

(This virtual sphere by the way has no space as each entity is next to any other entity at any time. At the same time this sphere is endless in it's expansion, it can take any dimension the entities will give him.)"