What exactly is Web 2.0?

The San Francisco Chronicle takes a fairly cerebral look at this second phase of the Web, quoting some of its pioneers, including Tim O’Reilly, widely credited with coining the term. Call me simplistic, but what they all seem to be describing is what I’d call “the people’s Web.” The debate will continue, but in this space – that of youth on the Internet – it’s a force to contend with and clearly distinct from Web 1.0, so much so that it needs its own name. This social Web or participatory Web, as I also think of it, is not really the Web we parents use at work or even at home – except maybe the most early-adopter ones. It’s the Web driven by people under 30 (see “Users’ Web”). A US News & World Report article indicates that's changing, though - at least investors are banking on indicators that we'll all be driving the participatory Web. To help us nail all this down, the Chronicle has a sidebar with concrete examples – describing and linking to the “Key Web 2.0 sites."