The Death - Uh, Maturing - of Web 2.0

For those of us who’ve been wondering when it would ever happen, it looks like Web 2.0 is finally growing up.

For many months now, wild speculations, entertaining but seemingly ephemeral applications, and irrational business decisions have swirled around the phrase “Web 2.0″. Organizations frantic to stay ahead of the curve””including some of our clients””have looked for a 2.0 bandwagon to jump onto, only to find there wasn’t one. At least, not yet. Or they’ve tried to artificially bolt 2.0 technologies onto their existing business model only to find it wasn’t a good fit for them, either commercially or philosophically.

“Web 2.0 is dead! Long live…”
It was with some relief, then, that we read the announcement “Web 2.0 is dead!” circulate through the blogosphere. Not that we disliked 2.0 so much, but it’s been one of those annoying fads like low-slung jeans that few seem to know how to wear properly and no-one knows how to regulate. Something whose absence might improve society in general.

We read the announcement, and sat back to wait for the next wild trend. Web 3.0, perhaps. Or mobile-enabled VR. Or the blossoming of the semantic web.

Except that’s not what’s happened.

Instead, we’re seeing a more considered, rational, planned implementation of 2.0 technologies. Businesses that understand they need to change their way of thinking about the web if they want to benefit from, say, wikis, or blogging, or mashups. It’s the 2nd wave of Web 2.0, no longer the exploratory cutting edge, but arguably more useful.

B.L. Ochman makes a similar point in her post titled “Web 2.0 Dead? Don’t Be Silly!” - that many companies are just now beginning to make full use of these newer technologies, along with some great examples.

Web 2.0 As the Stage, Not the Star
So the 2.0 technologies are, at last, getting out of their own way. Instead of being the focus of a company’s growth, the newer approaches are enabling the growth. New types of interactions are spontaneously emerging as 2.0 becomes everyday.

Which brings me to a wonderful example of this - TuDiabetes.com. TuDiabetes.com and its sister Spanish-language site, EsTuDiabetes.com, is a social network site for a specific community - those people who’ve been touched by diabetes. Founded by Manny Hernandez, the entire site is based on the free Ning social network platform created by Marc Andreeson and Gina Bianchini. It brings together those who’ve been touched by diabetes, along with their friends and family, and lets them share their experiences, connect and interact in wonderfully supportive ways.

Would this kind of site have been possible five years ago? Yes, but it would’ve entailed a significant investment of time, effort, money, or all three. Five years ago the platform itself would have been the main focus of the organization’s effort, instead of being a springboard to newer, greater things.

The point is, as Web 2.0 goes mainstream, we’re sure to see many more creative uses of it like TuDiabetes.com, uses where the result, not the platform, is the star of the show.

Personally, I’m looking forward to it.