Tim O'Reilly coined the term Web 2.0 to describe a new era of the web which uses new technologies, and web page design strategies to "...allow users to interact with the data available there(in the web) in ways we never dreamed possible 10 years ago."1 New Technologies and communication protocols such as Asynchronous JavaScript and XML(AJAX) and Simple Object Access Protocol(SOAP) allow end users to interact with a web page more efficiently and like never before. Another aspect of Web 2.0 is viewing the web as a platform rather than just a medium to distribute information. These features of Web 2.0 web pages, such as Wikipedia.org, allow users to create, modify and share information with relative ease creating a closer connection between businesses and their customers.
Advances in web programming and technology allows businesses to create more efficient, and interact-able websites One of these advances is AJAX, which allows devices, referred to as clients, to send and retrieve data from a server over a period of time rather than all at once. "...web applications can send data to, and retrieve data from, a server asynchronously (in the background) without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page."2 AJAX is a combination of HTML and CSS code which allows users to interact with information retrieved from the server without having to reload the web page after every interaction. This cuts down the load time of a web page which saves the user from the frustration of waiting for the data to be completely retrieved from the server before they may interact with the application. This is especially useful for companies such as youtube.com who hosts multimedia applications. On youtube.com, a user may start watching a video while the rest of the data is loaded in the background. Another new technology is SOAP which is a platform independent communication protocol that allows applications to communicate with each other "SOAP provides a way to communicate between applications running on different operating systems, with different technologies and programming languages."3 SOAP is how web pages to be viewed no matter what operating system the client is running allow companies such as Hulu.com or HBO(via HBO Go) to reach a wider audience therefore further connecting to their customer base.
These new technologies have evolved the web into its own platform, Giving companies the capability of adding both, applications they have developed as well as those developed by a third party to their website accessible from almost any operating system. An example of this is Google Docs, a word processor application which can be accessible from their web site and allows users to store, modify and share documents through the cloud. This allows Goggle to better connect with their user base and generate ad revenue because the user does not have to go out purchase a word processing software. It is millions of applications like Google Docs which have transformed the web into its own platform capable of being run off of any device with internet connectivity again, allowing Goggle to expand their customer base and meet the needs they require.
In conclusion, the new technologies and applications available over web 2.0 allow businesses to stay connected to their customer and provide better, more efficient services to meet the needs of the customer.
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