目前互联网最热门的话题似乎都离不开Web 2.0的概念，无论是博客、RSS，WIKI、播客还是社会网络与互动社区，甚至搜索门户也在开发基于Web 2.0 理念的新一代搜索引擎。Web 2.0这个概念从刚刚提出时倍受冷落到如今的红遍互联网，这个过程正如同人类的进化过程一样，每一次变革都要经历理论和实践的双重震荡。而Web 2.0作为信息领域的新生事物，它的出现无疑又为已经进入信息时代的人类社会的进化提供了一个更高的技术支持平台。
何谓Web 2.0
Blogger Don在他的《Web 2.0概念诠释》中写道：“Web 2.0是以Flickr、Craigslist、Linkedin、Tribes、Ryze、Friendster、Del.icio.us、43Things.com等网站为代表，以Blog、TAG、SNS、RSS、WIKI等社会软件的应用为核心，依据六度分隔、XML、Ajax等新理论和技术实现的新一代互联网模式。”
同时，他指出：“Web 1.0到Web 2.0的转变，具体地说，从模式上是由单纯的'读’向'写’和'共同建设’发展；由被动地接收互联网信息向主动创造互联网信息迈进；从基本构成单元上，是由'网页’向'发表/记录的信息’发展；从工具上，是由互联网浏览器向各类浏览器、RSS阅读器等内容发展；运行机制上，由'Client/ Server’向'Web Services’转变；作者由程序员等专业人士向全部普通用户发展；应用上由初级的'滑稽’的应用向全面大量应用发展。”
有关Web 2.0的类似“定义”或者特征，我们在互联网上能搜索到很多，然而，这似乎并不能帮助我们理解Web 2.0，或许不同的人对于Web 2.0都会有不同的理解，而一个人站在不同的角度，对于Web 2.0也会有不同的理解。事实上，跟许多重要的理念一样，Web 2.0并没有一个明确的界限，它犹如一个重力核心，由此来把距离核心或远或近的网站组合成一个类似太阳系的系统网络，而这些网站则或多或少地体现着Web 2.0的原则。为了更好地理解Web 2.0，我们不妨回过头来回顾一下互联网的发展历史。
Web 2.0的前世今生
一个新概念或新理论的诞生，必然有其历史的脉络可寻，而决不会凭空产生。为了更好地理解Web 2.0，我们要先了解Web 1.0甚至BBS的历史。World Wide Web，简称WWW，是英国人TimBern-ers-Lee在1989年发明的。通过Web可以把互联网上的资源在一个网页里比较直观地表示出来，而这些资源之间也可以通过网页相互链接。而在Web之前，互联网上相当数量的文档资源是存放在BBS上的。
BBS诞生于二十世纪七十年代末，那时还没有浏览器，没有搜索引擎，甚至没有个人网站，我们在BBS上主要可以做四件事：发布新闻、发布交易信息、发布个人感想、互动式问答。通过对互联网发展历史的研究可以看出，Web时代的内容服务网站主要是从BBS的四个功能演化而成的。当BBS的前三个功能从BBS中分离出去后，逐渐发展成三个方向的网站———新闻类网站、电子商务类网站、博客类网站，这三类网站经过整合逐渐形成各自的门户，如新浪、易趣、博客中国。而第四个功能目前正在逐渐分离，但还是依附于传统的门户网站，如百度的知道和新浪的爱问。
在互联网发展的初期，是静态Html下的Web时代，这就是我们所谓的Web 1.0。而在动态Html下的Web，通过Web服务器的程序，应用户的请求，将存储在数据库中的数据取出，加上事先设计好的模版，动态地生成Html代码，最终发送到用户的浏览器那里。它也属于Web 1.0系列，因为用户在浏览器中所见的内容和Web 1.0并无区别，然而，由于数据并不是事先制作和发布，而是和用户的需要动态地交互生成，因此也有人将之称为Web 1.5。而在Web 2.0下，基于RSS/ATOM/RDF/FOAF等的XML数据不再和页面、网站混粘在一起，它们被独立了出来，并能够实现同步、聚合和迁移，通过对XML数据的处理，这些内容能自由组合，能被各种应用程序（不论是Web程序还是桌面程序）呈现和处理。
随着技术的进步，相对于新闻类及电子商务类网站来说，由BBS后两个功能发展而出的网站已经开始呈现出较为不同的特点，从这些差异中，我们将可以窥见Web 2.0与传统的Web 1.0之间的差异。从知识生产的角度看，Web 1.0是将人类已有的知识，通过商业力量放到网上；而Web 2.0则是通过每个用户的协作，将这些知识有机地组织起来，在这个过程中继续将知识深化，并产生新的火花。从网络社会的构建来看，Web 1.0是以内容提供者为主体，以一种自上而下的方式构建，用户只是作为一个群体概念而存在；而Web 2.0则是以用户为主体，以每个用户所体现的博客作为细胞，由他们自发聚合或者引导性聚合在一起，并不断辐射形成一张可伸缩的有机网络。从交互性来看，Web 1.0是以网络对用户为主，这是一种单向性的行为；而在Web 2.0中，每个用户作为平等的主体而存在，他们的行为是一种准双向的行为。
构建以用户为核心的互联网
简单地说，Web 2.0就是以用户为核心的互联网。Web 2.0的一个核心概念就是让用户参与内容创造，从而更好地变革互联网的内容组织和信息传播，创造关联性和社会性。这也体现了Web 2.0的一个关键原则，即“用户越多，服务越好，效益越大”。麻省理工的《技术观察》曾经针对Web 2.0的技术特征进行过分析，指出“博客、RSS、播客等符合Web 2.0定义的技术，都在强调分众传播的对等信息交互，也就是信息接受者同时也是这些信息的创造者，若干的博客汇集成新的信息输出者，每个人在挤奶的时候还要喝奶”。
不可否认，代表着Web 2.0的各种理论、技术与软件，在很大程度上与Web 1.0有一定差异，但是，Web 2.0为整个互联网带来的变革不应该仅仅局限在这些技术层面。在应用层面，Web 2.0彻底改变了互联网上人与人之间的关系，使得互联网成为一个有机的社会性网络，单个的用户就如同大脑的神经突触，彼此的联系通过复制和强化变得越来越强，而作为所有网络用户的所有活动的直接结果，互联网也将有机地成长。这种类似大脑神经元的网络结构，使得互联网更加开放而有效，Web 2.0的出现，就犹如远古时期的那道闪电，为互联网带来了生命的起源。
事实上，Web 2.0并不是一个具体的事物，而是一个阶段，是促成这个阶段的各种技术和相关的产品服务的一个总称。因此我们现在还很难说，Web 2.0是什么，但我们可以说，哪些产品属于Web 2.0范畴。同样，Web 2.0也为我们带来了许多亟需解决的问题。
众所周知，农业社会的核心产品是农产品，工业社会的核心产品是工业产品，同样，信息社会的核心产品就是信息产品。信息产品区别于农产品和工业产品的最大特点，就是它的创造是有成本的，而它的复制和传播是没有成本的，在网络时代尤其如此。因此，这就决定了信息产品应该被全人类所共享，只有这样才能发挥最大的效用。
然而，在这个信息大爆炸的时代，互联网上每天都充斥着各种各样的信息，我们已经不满足于简单地获得这些内容，并且，搜索及管理这些信息所付出的代价也显得颇为昂贵。尽管搜索引擎已经为我们提供了很大的便利，使我们能够在海量的信息中依靠关键词来过滤出我们所需要的某一类信息，然而，这对于我们已经远远不够。现在，我们需要的是，如何来管理、维护、储存、分享、转移这些信息，而这正是Web 2.0所能为我们提供的。
在Web 2.0中，“人”的作用被提高到了前所未有的高度，从前简单的网站对个人的单向传播，逐渐演变为一对一、一对多、可协同的交互式传播。依托RSS等各种新的技术工具，交换和管理资源变得比以往更加便利，而互联网内容的生产不再仅仅局限于各大门户网站，每个人都可以参加个性化的生产，产品的生产方式、规模和效率空前高涨，带有鲜明个性色彩的产品可以被高效地生产出来并被快速地共享。
互联网个人化带来的问题
不幸的是，个人生产天生带有简单、自由、粗放的本性，这种本性注定了产出的优质产品只能是少量，而无论借助多么现代化的生产工具，无论产品本身具有怎样的使用价值和受众规模，这种产品都只是个人化、个性化的产品。而且，个人化生产这种生产结构本身具有不确定性，作为生物意义上的个人，在生理、心理等诸多方面都影响着高标准的规模化生产，而Web 2.0企图依靠这种生产结构来颠覆Web 1.0，未免言之过早。虽然WIKI式的协同化生产模式将在一定程度上解决这个问题，但是，由此带来的产品所有权问题、价值衡量问题、价值分配问题、商品价值如何实现等问题依然无法解决。
此外，Web 2.0崇尚去中心化，崇尚人的交互与协作，每个人都在参与着互联网内容的创造，这就不可避免地带来一个问题，即对于个人发布的信息内容如何鉴别，如何确保其真实性，而过度的自由及自组织也将逐渐造成Web 2.0的低效化。这些，也都是Web 2.0目前难以解决的问题。
尽管Web 2.0现在还不是很成熟，但它为我们揭示了一幅美好的前景。而互联网技术的进步则仅仅只是一个开端，伴随着Web 2.0的发展，还需要有更完善的信用制度、法律制度及人们生活方式、工作方式、思维方式的转变。可以说，Web 2.0正在为我们展示着这么一个趋势，我们正在朝着信息社会迈进。
人类社会经过五千年的发展，才完成从群体化生活到个体化生活的跨越，而体现个体自由的概念也才出现不到四百年，但是互联网只用了十年的时间就完成了从群体到个体的跨越，这不能不说是一个奇迹。互联网的进化史就是人类社会进化史的一个缩影，在某种程度上，由于它的信息透明度高，交易成本低，聚合成本小，以至于它的进化速度可以前瞻于人类社会，在这种意义上，它又可以作为一个人类社会形态进化的虚拟演习，可以为人类社会的演进提供前瞻性的经验。从社会学的角度来看，对比人类社会进化史和互联网进化史或许可以产生一些有益的成果。
译文:
The Changes Internet of Web 2.0 Is Experiencing
At present,the hottest issue on the Internet is always about the concept of Web2.0, no matter blog, RSS, WIKI,vedio or social network and interactive communities, as well as the websites of search engine, are developing a new generation of search engine based on the conception of Web 2.0. The concept of Web 2.0 was ignored when it was mentioned, but now it is spreading across the Internet.This process is like the evolution of mankind, ervery change needs dual shakes of theory and pratice. However, as a fresh thing in the information area, the appearance of Web2.0 provides a higher technology support stage for the evolution of mankind society which has entered into information era.
What is Web 2.0
As Blogger Don writes in his book of “explaination of Web 2.0 concepts” , “the websites of Flickr、Craigslist、Linkedin、Tribes、Ryze、Friendster、Del.icio.us、43Things.com are representation of Web2.0, the application of social software such as Blog、TAG、SNS、RSS、WIKI are its core, and it is a new generation of Internet mode which is implemented by the new theories and technologies of division by six times,XML,Ajax and so on.
At the same time, he points out that “ the change from web 1.0 to web 2.0 is concretely the development from the single “read” to “write” and “ common construction”; the progress from receiving information on the Internet passively to creating it; in terms of basic compostion unit, it develops from “ web pages” to “ publishing or recording information; in terms of tools,it develops from the Intenert browser to all kinds of browers and RSS reading machine; in terms of opreating system, it transfers from the “Client/Server” to “Web Services”; its authors are developing from professinal experts such as programmers to all the ordinary users; in application it develops from the elementary and “humorous” application to the general and plentiful ones.
There are many "definitions" or chracteristics about Web 2.0 on the Internet, however, this seems not to help us undertand Web 2.0, maybe different people have different understandings on Web 2.0. And a person could have various understandings if he views in different directions. In fact , as many important concepts, there is no clear bound on Web 2.0, it's like the core of gravity that orgnizes websites near or far from the core into a network like the solar system, and these websites reflect the principle of Web 2.0. In order to understand better, we can look back to review the history of Internet development.
The History of Web 2.0
The generation of a new concept or theory must have its own historic clue, and can be produced by nothing.
In order to understand Web 2.0 better, first we should know the history of Web 1.0 and even BBS. World Wide Web, which is called WWW for short, was invented by a Britisher named TimBern-ers-Lee in 1989. Through Web we can display the resouces on the Internet directly in a web page, and these resouces can be linked with each other by web pages. But before Web, a large amount of resouces are stored on BBS.
BBS was borned in the late 1970s, at that time there is no browser, search engine and even personal website. On BBS we may primarily do four things: publishing news, releasing trade information , delivering personal thoughts, and doing interactive questions and answers. According to the research on the development history of Internet, the content and service oriented websites in the Web era are transformed by the four functions of BBS. While the previous three functions of BBS are seperated from the whole, it gradually develops into three kinds of websites: news, electronic commerce, and blogs. These websites gradually form their own door-sites, such as Sina, Ebay, Blogs in China. And the fourth function is gradually apart, but it still clings to the traditional door-websites, like the Awareness in Baidu and Questions in Sina.
In the early period of Internet development, it’s the Web time under static Html, this is what we call Web 1.0. But the web under dynamic Html, through the programs of Web server, according to the requests of users, get the data stored in database and dynamicly create Html codes with the previous designed model, finally transmit to the user’s browsers .It also belongs to the series of Web 1.0, because what users see are the same as what in Web 1.0, however, because the data are not previously made or published , but needs dynamic and interactive generation with users, therefore some people call it Web 1.5. But under Web 2.0, XML data based on RSS/ATOM/RDF/FOAF etc. are not combined with pages and websites , they are seperated and can implement synchronization, cohension and tranfer. By dealing with XML data, these contents can combined freely and can be displayed and processed by all kinds of application programs.(no matter Web programs or desktop programs).
With the progress of technology, compared with the websites of news and electronic commerce, the websites developing from the last two functions of BBS have appeared different features. From these differences, we can observe diversity between Web 2.0 and the traditional Web 1.0. In terms of knowledge production , Web 1.0 puts the knowledge that human has acquired on the Internet by the commercial force. However, Web 2.0 organizes these knowledge organically through the cooperation of each user, in the process deepens the knowledge and sparkles. From the construction of network society, it makes the content provider as the main body, and builds from top to the bottom, the users are considered as a group conception. But Web 2.0 makes the user as the main body, the blog every user represents as the cell, let them combine spontaneously or under guide, continuously radiates to form a organic network that is retractile. From the interaction, Web 1.0 is primarily network toward user, it is a one-direction behavior ; in Web 2.0, ervey user exists as equal entity, their behaviors are standard bidirectional.
Construct User-Centered Internet
In brief, Web 2.0 is a kind of Internet puts the users as the core. One of the core values of Web 2.0 is that leting users participate content-creating, in order to reform the orgnization of contents and transmission of information better, creating association and sociality. This also reflects a key principle of Web 2.0, that is “ the more the users, the better the services, the larger the benefits”. The “ Technology Observation” journal of Massachusetts Institute of Technology had once analyzed about the technical characteristics of Web 2.0, pointing out that “ the technologies accorded with the definition of Web2.0 such as bolgs, RSS, videos etc., are all emphasizing the equal information interaction of transmission, that is the receiver of information is also the creator, some blogs assemble new information exporter, ereryone are drinking milk while milking.”
We can’t deny that all kinds of theories, technologies and software that represent Web 2.0 have some difference from Web 1.0 in a large extent. However, the changes Web 2.0 has brought to the whole Internet should not be limited in these technical levels. In the application aeras, Web 2.0 has thoroughly changed the relations between people on the Internet, making Internet a organic social network. Single user is like the synapse of the brain , the communication between them become stronger by copying and strengthening, and Internet will grow organically as the direct result of all the activities of all the network users. The network structure like the brain’s nerve cell will make Internet more open and effective. The appearance of Web 2.0 is like the lightning in the ancient times, bringing about the origin of life for the Internet.
In fact , Web 2.0 is not a concrete thing but a period , as well as a general appellation of various technolohies and product services which are promoting this period. So it’s difficult for us to say what is Web 2.0, but we can say which products belong to its area. Meanwhile, Web 2.0 also brings many problems to be solved.
As it is known to all, farm produce is the core product in the agricultural society, industrial products is the core in the industrial society. Similarly, the core product in the information society is information products. The biggest characteristic of information products that differ from the farm produce and industrial products is that its creation needs cost but its copy and transmission are costless, particularly in network times. Therefore, this determines information products should be shared by all human being, only that can achieve the most effects.
However, in this information explosion era, there are various information on the Inrenet everyday, and we have not statisfied with getting these simply, and the cost of searching and managing these information is very expensive. Although the search engine has provided great convenience for us, making us filtate some kind of information we need by the key word in the vast information area, it is far from enough for us . Currently, what we need is how to manage, maintain, store, share, transfer these information , this is what Web 2.0 can provide for us .
In Web2.0, the effect of “people” has been heightened to the extent that has never happened. The simple website transmiting at one direction to people at one time has gradually transformed into the one-to-one,one-to-more, and synchronous interactive transmission. With the various technology tools like RSS, exchanging and managing resouces become more convenient than before, and the production of content on the Internet is not limited to some big door-websites any more, ereryone can take part in personal production, the production mode , scale and efficiency of products have rised at a fast and unprecedented speed, the products full of vivid personal characterisics can be produced efficently and shared quickly.
The Problems of Internet Popularization
Unfortunately, individual production is borned with essentiality of simpleness, freedom and crudeness. This essentiality destines better products are few, no matter what the use value and mass size are , the products are only personal and characteristic ones. Moreover, the production structure of individual production has uncertainty. As individual in the biological sense, it affects high standard and large scale production in many areas like physiology and phychology. But it’s too early to say that Web 2.0 will take place of Web 1.0 by this kind of production structure. Although WIKI’s production mode of coordination will solve the problem to some extent, however, some problems which are brought about still can’t be solved, such as the ownership of products, measure of values, distribution of values, and how to implement values of merchandise.
Besides, Web 2.0 advocates centralization, communication and cooperation between people. Everyone can take part in the creation of Internet contents , this will inevitably bring about a problem , that is how to distinguish information contents of personal publication as well as how to ensure their authenticity. Contrarily, excessive freedom and organization by themselves will make Web 2.0 inefficient. All of these are problems for Web 2.0 that are difficult to settle.
Although Web 2.0 is not very mature now, it reveals a beautiful prospect for us. The progress of Internet technology is only a start, with the development of Web 2.0, we still need more improved credit system, law system, and transition of people’s way of life,way of work and way of thinking. We can say that Web 2.0 is showing us a trend that we are forging ahead toward information society.
The human society takes 5000 years of development to complete the span from group life to individual life, and the concept representing individual freedom is only less than 400 years old. But Internet merely takes ten years to achieve the span from group to individual, this can’t be denied as a miracle. The evolution history of Internet is a epitome of the history of mankind society evolution . To some extent, because of its high transparency of information and low trade cost as well as low cohesion cost, its evolution speed could even look forward to the future of human society. In this sense, it can be regarded as a virtual rehearse of evolution of mankind society’s shape, it can also provide forward experience on evolution of mankind society. From the point of sociology, maybe we could get some beneficial achievements comparing the evolution history of human to that of Internet.