“Web 2.0” is a phrase that describes the so-called second generation of the world wide web. As more and more people are accessing the Internet everyday, the web provides more ways for interaction between users around the world. It has become easier than ever to set up a web presence and the social aspect of the Internet has become much more important as networks are being build of communities.

Instead of having a personal website, as people did in Web 1.0, people now have blogs. Instead of looking facts up in the online version of the encyclopedia, people now search through Wikipedia, which is community-written. In the Web 2.0 atmosphere people no longer simply surf the web now they participate in it.

Another aspect of Web 2.0 is web-based software, such as Google’s Docs and Spreadsheets. By using software such as this, users are able to share and retrieve documents easily. Any of the users sharing the document can modify the text, without worrying if they have the same operating system as the other users. As long as they have an Internet connection they are able to access the information.

There is a lot of hype about this term right now and there are a lot of people who will try to make money by telling people what they need to have a Web 2.0 site. If you want to make your site more Web 2.0 friendly there are some easy solutions that are easy on the budget.

With the move to Web 2.0, there is a design aspect to make sites less “noisy” and more user-friendly. If it has been a while since the look of a website has been updated try adding something such as a gradient background to make it look more modern.

Since Web 2.0 is centered on the idea of a community, adding a forum to a site will give you an instant community boost. If your web host has Fantastico, adding a forum at the push of a button is all that is necessary. If not, there are open source PHP message boards that can be installed on a server. If you’re not a techie, you can hire someone to do that for you, or keep your forum remotely hosted and simply link to it from your site.

Blogging is another way to add a sense of community to a site. Don’t be afraid to be a bit controversial or ask for others’ opinions on posts. Web 2.0 is all about the interaction of multiple users.

As you venture further into the world of online communities and Web 2.0, look at other sites to see what they are adding and how things are changing. Decide what works best for you and your needs. It is exciting to see as things continue to progress what this means for the Internet and if there will be a Web 3.0 to come. If you keep up with the current trends, you will be in the best position to take advantage of whatever comes along in the ever-changing world wide web.