Looking for a Web 2.0 tutorial for beginners

[BenVitale]

I'm in the process of building a website.

Building a website as we know them is limited to the passive viewing. So, I was told to learn Web 2.0

I know nothing about Web 2.0, could anyone recommend a good tutorial for beginners?

I would like to hear from people who have experience with networking and communication in Web 2.0

 

[Epic Sandwich]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Web 2.0 is just a name given to newer, more modern styled websites. In a way, Web 2.0 is like the rebirth of the internet, but more interactive.

Anyway, for interactivity, Flash, PHP, javascript? (It's been a while, I'm not sure if people still use it haha) and glossy graphics make it look more modern :)

 

[Borg]

BenVitale,

The Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0" article has a good explanation of the various technologies used in Web 2.0. As you can see, it's a big list. I've worked with most of these and could help but it would be helpful to know how much you know first.

 

[BenVitale]

BenVitale,

The Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0" article has a good explanation of the various technologies used in Web 2.0. As you can see, it's a big list. I've worked with most of these and could help but it would be helpful to know how much you know first.

I'm really a newbie. All I know (in general terms) is it is a new wave in internet technology, it is a better tool for interactions and it allows to find groups of people with whom you share same interests (SIGS) ... and that I could invite volunteers to edit my materials on my website or blog.

Now, how can I start?

 

[Borg]

I'm really a newbie. All I know (in general terms) is it is a new wave in internet technology, it is a better tool for interactions and it allows to find groups of people with whom you share same interests (SIGS) ... and that I could invite volunteers to edit my materials on my website or blog.

Now, how can I start?

Do you know any programming such as HTML or Javascript? These would be the first place to start if you are a complete newbie - you have to learn Web 1.0 before you can start learning Web 2.0.

 

[BenVitale]

Yes, I took some time ago (X)HTML/CSS and javascript.

So, I do need to make some modifications on the script of my website?

 

[Borg]

Yes, I took some time ago (X)HTML/CSS and javascript.

So, I do need to make some modifications on the script of my website?

I could look at it if you like. Do you want to PM me the address of your website?

 

[BenVitale]

I could look at it if you like.

Okay, please don't laugh too hard ... I wrote a website for my mom. It looks messy and awfully crowded. I need to give it a better look. This was my first attempt.

Do you want to PM me the address of your website?

Okay, I'll PM you shortly.

My goal is to communicate with interesting people and with same interests, invite volunteers to edit my materials, and active viewing

 

[Borg]

Okay, please don't laugh too hard ... I wrote a website for my mom. It looks messy and awfully crowded. I need to give it a better look. This was my first attempt.

No problem. We all have to start somewhere. I look forward to seeing it.

 

[DaveC426913]

Web 2.0 means many things to many people. The interpretation I like best is that it is the semantic web.

In a nutshell, data is given meaning (often in the form of metadata or in the form of markup) so that other sources can find it, collate it know what to do with it and ultimately use it as a small part of a larger pool of data. The net effect is that the sum of the data is greater than its individual elements.

The explosion of social networking sites is both a cause and effect of this.


For individual sites, it makes less sense, but one of the ways you'd make yourself 2.0-friendly is to ensure you write your site in HTML 5.0.

 

[Borg]

I haven't gotten a PM yet on the web site. I agree that he isn't going to be able to do a lot with an individual site that is probably limited to static client-side Javascript. Based on what Ben has written, I'm leaning toward suggesting the addition of RSS feeds to give some dynamic content.

 

[davee123]

Web 2.0 means many things to many people. The interpretation I like best is that it is the semantic web.

In a nutshell, data is given meaning (often in the form of metadata or in the form of markup)

Huh. I guess my interpretation has been that it's a higher degree of dynamic pages that allow interactivity rather than static pages. Effectively, it's everything that's made possible by AJAX, Flash, server-side CGI's and so forth.

It's a lot of hype, though. Don't assume you should make things web 2.0 when all you want to do is display information to your users. If you've got static information you want to show people, why bother making a PHP site with a database and AJAX callbacks when you can achieve the same effect with static pages and some fancy-looking CSS and JavaScript?

Essentially, IMHO, you want web 2.0 when you want to take information FROM your users, and manipulate it in some way. Store it, re-display it, quantify it, analyze it, or whatever. Example:

- A site to display pictures that you've taken: no need for web 2.0.

- A site where users (yourself included) can upload pictures that they've taken and view them: you might want to look at web 2.0.

Web 2.0 requires programming. And maybe you can use an already-existing packaged set of programs to build your web 2.0 site, but maybe not, in which case you need to learn how to write programs with something like PHP (or a kazillion others like Perl, Python, Java, etc). It's a HUGE step for people that only know HTML to suddenly jump into making web 2.0 sites. There's a LOT to learn.

DaveE

 

[BenVitale]

Thanks for your feedback.

And, thank you Borg for your advice and comments.

My computer died. Why? It was very silly of me. My computer was on during an electric storm while I was watching a weather report on TV, lightning hit my house. A computer tech replaced my hard drive. I asked the tech guy if he can do data retrieval on the old and damaged hard drive. He told me that there's no guarantee that he can retrieve anything, then went on explaining how it is done under better circumstances. I didn't realize how hard and how long of process data retrieval is.