The term Web 2.0 first became popular in 2004 to describe a number of services that harnessed the networking capabilities of the internet that allowed for more participation. Tim O’Reilly first described Web 2.0 as the web as a platform for sharing and collaboration. O’Reilly later compacted his definition to:
Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this: Build applications that harness network effects to get better the more people use them. (This is what I’ve elsewhere called “harnessing collective intelligence.”
A common method to describe Web 2.0 is through the applications most often used – such as talking about Twitter, Flickr, MySpace, Wikipedia, and Youtube.
MashTrans.org examines how Web 2.0 has been used for transportation in three Web 2.0 areas: Social Media, Social Networking, and Mashups How are different transportation agencies already using these tools and how can they be improved? As more people rely on Web 2.0 applications for information and communication, transportation agencies have a greater opportunity to embed their services.
One of the chief advantages in using Web 2.0 as a platform for communication, is that it encourages participation. Transportation agencies that promote themselves and their services with Web 2.0 applications are more likely to engage their audience in an active dialog, rather than a passive interaction. People will feel more enfranchised with the services offered and be more informed, and perhaps enthusiastic, users.
