What Is Web 2.0 (summarize)

What Is Web 2.0

Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software

by Tim O'Reilly (09/30/2005)

Web 2.0 can be visualized as a set of principles and practices that tie together a veritable solar system of sites that demonstrate some or all of those principles, at a varying distance from that core. (see Fig.1)

Fig.1. Meme Map of Web 2.0 that was developed during FOO Camp (2005)

To identify one application or approach as "Web 1.0" and another as "Web 2.0": tease out the principles that are demonstrated in one way or another by the success stories of web 1.0 and by the most interesting of the new applications, which is:

1. The Web As Platform

• The value of the software is proportional to the scale and dynamism of the data it helps to manage.
• Leverage customer-self service and algorithmic data management to reach out to the entire web, to the edges and not just the center, to the long tail and not just the head.
• The service automatically gets better the more people use it.

2. Harnessing Collective Intelligence

• Network effects from user contributions are the key to market dominance in the Web 2.0 era.

3. Data is the Next Intel Inside

• The company that first reaches critical mass via user aggregation, and turns that aggregated data into a system service will be the winner.
• The race is on to own certain classes of core data: location, identity, calendaring of public events, product identifiers and namespaces.

4. End of the Software Release Cycle

• Software is delivered as a service, not as a product.
• Operations must become a core competency à the software will cease to perform unless it is maintained on a daily basis.
• Users must be treated as co-developers.

5. Lightweight Programming Models

• Support lightweight programming models that allow for loosely coupled systems.
• Think syndication, not coordination.
• Design for "hackability" and remixability.

6. Software Above the Level of a Single Device

• Useful software written above the level of the single device will command high margins for a long time to come. (Dave Stutz)

7. Rich User Experiences

• Companies that succeed will create applications that learn from their users, using an architecture of participation to build a commanding advantage not just in the software interface, but in the richness of the shared data.

From the seven principles above, we can highlight some of the principal features of Web 2.0 that can become the core competencies of Web 2.0 companies:

• Services, not packaged software, with cost-effective scalability.
• Control over unique, hard-to-recreate data sources that get richer as more people use them.
• Trusting users as co-developers.
• Harnessing collective intelligence.
• Leveraging the long tail through customer self-service.
• Software above the level of a single device.
• Lightweight user interfaces, development models, and business models.

List the companies Google acquired (2001-2007)

List the companies Google acquired year by year:

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_acquisitions)

Company / Product	Business Area	Strategic Implications
2001
Deja's Usenet archive	Google Groups	Google users will be able to search and browse more than 500 million archived messages from Deja Usenet with the speed and efficiency of a Google search. (available at http://groups.google.com)
Outride, Inc.	Spin-off from Xerox PARC	Complements Google's technology development to provide search results with greater relevance.
2003
Pyra Labs	Blogger	Secured the company's competitive ability to use information gleaned from blog postings to improve the speed and relevance of articles contained in a companion product to the search engine (Google News).
Neotonic Software	CRM technology	- A step for Google to move into providing services for e-mail discussion groups, in competition with Yahoo. - provide strong support channel for its upcoming webmail service GMail. - Could push Google into yet another field of operations: licensing customer resource management tools to small businesses. (News.com)
Applied Semantics	Advertising technology	Help Google expand its program that links online ads with corresponding Web pages
Kaltix	Search engine technology	Allowing Google to develop personalized search and provide context sensitive search for Google Search.
Sprinks	Paid listings unit of Primedia	Sprinks advertisements, which were distributed over the About.com media network, will be now be replaced by Google Adwords advertisements
Genius Labs	Blogging	Strengthen Google position in web-logging industry.
2004
Ignite Logic	Website creation technology	Google's legally enforced "quiet period," a result of their IPO filing, may have stifled news of a purchase search engine leader Google has made.
Baidu (2.6% stake)	Chinese language search engine. All shares were sold in June, 2006	For Google, which previously faced a great challenge from Baidu in China, the deal will help it ease competition and get to better know the market.
Picasa	Photo management software	Google is acquiring a photographic opportunity; and also all the people looking at photos may likely see Google's contextual ads displayed by their photos. Their integration with Blogger allows them to show a photo and a caption.
Keyhole, Inc.	Mapping software; used in Google Earth	Gives Google users a powerful new search tool, enabling users to view 3D images of any place on earth as well as tap a rich database of roads, businesses and many other points of interest.
Where2	Mapping software; used in Google Maps	The creation of Google Maps by implementing Where2 technology.
ZipDash	Traffic info start-up; used in Google Ride Finder	Implement the technology to Google Ride Finder.
2005
2Web Technologies	Web-based spreadsheet	The creation of Google Spreadsheet.
Phatbits	Widget engine	Allowed for the deployment of Google Desktop Gadgets & Sidebar; become a key component of Google's overall desktop applications strategy.
Urchin Software Corporation	Web analysis	Make web site analytics solution tools available to web site owners and marketers to better enable them to increase their advertising return on investment and make their web sites more effective.
Dodgeball	Social networking	Integrating with Google maps mobile, Google local and also Google’s social networking service (Orkut).
Reqwireless	Web browser and Mobile email	Improvement of Google's various software products for cell phones and PDAs
Current Communications Group	Broadband internet	- The proliferation of broadband. - Make a number of deals with broadband providers for various content and search services.
Android (mobile phone platform)	Software for Handheld devices	Adds to Google's the collection of talent and technology that it hopes to apply to wireless service segment.
Skia	Graphics software	Development of graphic software and Google Phone.
Akwan Information Technologies	Latin American internet operations	Enables Google to provide the best advertising services and search experience to its users, advertisers and partners in Brazil, Mexico and throughout Latin America.
allPAY GmbH, bruNET GmbH	Mobile Solution Provider, Germany	Broaden Google influence in Europe, especially for mobile service.
AOL (5% stake)	Internet	Connect Google users worldwide to a wealth of new content and also created a simple way for AOL Marketplace advertisers to buy and place search-related advertising across the AOL network.
2006
dMarc Broadcasting	Radio advertising software and platform	Create a new radio ad distribution channel by integrating dMarc's technology into Google's AdWords platform.
Measure Map	Blog analysis	Measure Map site put under Google; and a possible improvement on Googleblog.
Upstartle	Writely, online word processing	There has been considerable speculation that Google would look to create a Web-based rival to Microsoft's dominant software suite.
@Last Software	SketchUp, 3-D modeling	Create a plug-in designed to allow developers to export 3D models from SketchUp into Google Earth.
Orion	Advanced search method	A possible improvement on Google’s searching performance.
Neven Vision	Computer vision	A possible improvement in Google’s free photo organizing software.
JotSpot	Website applications	Get the tool for Web-based collaboration needed for online word processing and spreadsheet applications.
YouTube	Video sharing (San Bruno, CA)	Gives Google the ability to tap into the potentially lucrative online video and social networking markets and thus strengthen its dominance in online ads.
Endoxon	Mapping solutions	Enhance Google Earth and Google Maps using Endoxon’s Internet, mapping and data processing business units.
2007
Xunlei (partial acquisition)	Network, file-sharing		May help Google tap growing popularity for online videos in the world's second-biggest Internet market.
Adscape	Video game advertising		Expanded Google’s advertising reach by moving into video game advertising.
Trendalyzer	Software		Trendalyzer will improve any function or application in which data might be better visualized.
Tonic Systems	Presentation software		Integrate a PowerPoint-like tool in Google Docs.
Marratech video conferencing software	Video conferencing (Stockholm, Sweden)		Enable from-the-desktop participation for Googlers in video-conference meetings wherever there's an Internet connection.
DoubleClick	Online Advertising		Enable Google to extend their ad network and develop deeper relationships with our partners.
GreenBorder Technologies	Desktop enterprise security		Provide the Internet giant with a Web "sandbox" for its users (Basically users could enter the sandbox, search and interact with various Web sites, and leave any viruses they encounter back in the sandbox when they exit).
Panoramio	Geospatial Photo-sharing Service		Integrate Panoramio's technology and services more deeply into its products as well as build out Panoramio's infrastructure.
FeedBurner	RSS Feeds (Chicago, IL)		Smoothing Google’s plans to get into the RSS ad market.
PeakStream	Parallel Processing		Use PeakStream’s technologies to make and/or improve Google’s products and features.
Zenter	Presentations Software		Providing Google with source to add presentation-sharing capabilities to Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
GrandCentral	VOIP Phone Aggregation (Fremont, CA)		Smoothing Google's efforts to provide services that enhance the collaborative exchange of information between their users.
ImageAmerica	High resolution aerial cameras		Make contributions to Google mapping services.
Postini	Communications Security (San Carlos, CA)		Postini will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the search giant, and its products will be used on Google's existing services.
Tusli	Google Blogger Api Engineering Team		Improvement on Google Blogger.
Zingku	Mobile social network and communication platform		Second chance for Google at Mobile Service Networking after Dodgeball.
Jaiku	An activity stream and presence sharing service that works from the Web and mobile phones (Helsinki)		Expansion of Google efforts in the Internet communications space by entering microblogging service.

Blog creation - motivation

Actually, this blog was created because I attended the "Web Service and Advanced Internet System" class taught by Professor Yao-Jen Chang on CYCU (Chung Yuan Christian University), Taiwan, and the homeworks are required to be in the blog form.

Created on Feb 23rd 2008, I hope I can use this blog not only for this narrow purpose, but rather I can use this for many other, more useful things.

Wish me luck ^_^