All of this uploading and web page editing encourages the following new forms of internet participation:
1) Search-and-acquire: powerful search engines like Google (combing lots more material now uploaded by users) encourages the exchange of files - in particular sound, image and video files. Modest communities of shared interest may even be built around these exchanges.
2) Research-and-learn: the very same search tools allow web users to find much more information on a much wider range of material - given the growth of uploading and editing by others.
3) Knowledge growing: the upload and download traffic is not simply about exchanging discrete, self-contained files. It is also about shared editing or the collaborative development of knowledge.- organic encyclopaedias.
4) Identity exchange: one topic people can easily upload and edit material about is themselves! In particular, they can construct diaries by writing directly into webpage templates or instructing the upload of personal files (photographs etc). This collection of technical developments and user engagements together suggests something new.
The term Web 2 suggests this step change in how we use Internet. A phrase that expresses some of this is "long tail". It refers to how the internet caters for (rare) specialist tastes (from shopping ot high culture) just as easily as it does for (abundant) popular taste. This loosens the control of monolithic suppliers and empowers the specialist provider/consummer. See...