Venture Capital: A new breed of Internet startups is here
"Just what is Web 2.0?
The latest buzzword in the technology industry can be a little tough to define. Interactive Web sites that tap the knowledge of users? Collaborative technologies for small teams? Software delivered over the Internet as a service?
Andy Sack, left, and Chris DeVore are co-founders of Judy's Book, an Internet company that encourages users to post reviews for local services. They have raised $8 million in funding, but you would never know it to look at their spartan Seattle office. The no-frills approach is one trait of a Web 2.0 company -- startups that are riding a second wave of Internet innovation.
Wikipedia -- the everevolving online encyclopedia that embodies many Web 2.0 characteristics -- even struggles with a concise definition.
"The term 'Web 2.0' refers to development of the World Wide Web, including its architecture and its applications," the site says.
"However, a consensus upon its exact meaning has not yet been reached."
Wikis, blogs, podcasts, really simple syndication, tagging and other technologies that help people share and distribute online content most frequently get slapped with the Web 2.0 label. Generally speaking, though, the concept embodies a new version of the Internet -- a second edition that is more dynamic than the static Web pages that were developed in the 1990s.
The backlash has already begun against the term, just as the words "dot com" took on a negative connotation five years ago. Blogger Chris Pirillo describes Web 2.0 as nothing more than "a $2,800 ticket to a tech conference," while venture capitalist David Hornik refers to it as "Bubble 2.0." Curious Office Partners co-founder Kelly Smith, whose 4-month-old Seattle firm invests in this new breed of Internet companies, admits that the Web 2.0 concept is elusive.
"I think it is an interesting editorial question," Smith said. "Is this a valid ter and why is it getting picked on?""
The latest buzzword in the technology industry can be a little tough to define. Interactive Web sites that tap the knowledge of users? Collaborative technologies for small teams? Software delivered over the Internet as a service?
Andy Sack, left, and Chris DeVore are co-founders of Judy's Book, an Internet company that encourages users to post reviews for local services. They have raised $8 million in funding, but you would never know it to look at their spartan Seattle office. The no-frills approach is one trait of a Web 2.0 company -- startups that are riding a second wave of Internet innovation.
Wikipedia -- the everevolving online encyclopedia that embodies many Web 2.0 characteristics -- even struggles with a concise definition.
"The term 'Web 2.0' refers to development of the World Wide Web, including its architecture and its applications," the site says.
"However, a consensus upon its exact meaning has not yet been reached."
Wikis, blogs, podcasts, really simple syndication, tagging and other technologies that help people share and distribute online content most frequently get slapped with the Web 2.0 label. Generally speaking, though, the concept embodies a new version of the Internet -- a second edition that is more dynamic than the static Web pages that were developed in the 1990s.
The backlash has already begun against the term, just as the words "dot com" took on a negative connotation five years ago. Blogger Chris Pirillo describes Web 2.0 as nothing more than "a $2,800 ticket to a tech conference," while venture capitalist David Hornik refers to it as "Bubble 2.0." Curious Office Partners co-founder Kelly Smith, whose 4-month-old Seattle firm invests in this new breed of Internet companies, admits that the Web 2.0 concept is elusive.
"I think it is an interesting editorial question," Smith said. "Is this a valid ter and why is it getting picked on?""
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