This is probably the best explanation of "Web 2.0" i have seen:
Web 2.0 is not about AJAX. Web 2.0 is about communities.
The Web earlier (also termed Web 1.0) was a purely static web. Static in the sense, that it only allowed you to read content posted by Webmasters. There was no way you could have a discussion on the contents posted. It was a finality that you had to accept.
With the advent of Blogs and networks, people began to build communities - a community being defined as a group of people with a common aim and a common interest.
Web 2.0 is not a result. It's a process.
The static finality of the Web 1.0 meant that no conversations could happen on the Internet. You either had to have your own site, or you had to somehow contact the owner of the content and convey your views to him. Then too, it would be a one-to-one conversation.
Now, as Internet reaches the far-flung areas of the globe, more and more people discover newer ideas and participate in a conversation that is open to all.
Thus, conversation becomes a process and not a result of your opinions.
Web 2.0 is not about YOU and ME. Web 2.0 is about US.
A conversation involving ten different people in ten different parts of the world happens in a server hosted in a location unknown to all ten. How? Web 2.0 is the answer.
Simply put:
Think of Web 2.0 as the next generation of the Web. The first generation could only speak. This generation of the Web can hear as well.
It is up to us to use both these faculties and hold a meaningful conversation.
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