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Web 2.0 and social networking

28/08/2008
Huge audience, low revenue



This report provides analysis of the recent outstanding phenomena on the web, namely video sharing and social networks whose community aspects are spreading to most corners of the Internet, well beyond the confines of Web 2.0. It provides details on current usage levels, key Web 1.0 and 2.0 player strategies, pioneer initiatives to monetise the community and the development of a new paradigm, based on the social graph and interoperability tools, which will likely have an impact on Internet services across the board. Web 2.0: massive usage and new giants emerging The term Web 2.0 does not have any single definition but, in its social sense, it refers to applications that are based on the principles of collaboration and sharing information and content (in many cases through virtual communities), putting users and social interaction at the heart of it all. • Growing at a tremendous rate, the main poles of attraction on Web 2.0 are social networks, whose top two players worldwide are MySpace and Facebook, with a user base that now spans across the generations. The most popular social networks nevertheless vary in the different corners of the globe, and the two titans have serious challengers that enjoy tremendous popularity in certain parts of the world. • The veteran internet giants caught the Web 2.0 train while it was already on the move. Having missed out on pioneering the phenomenon, they made up for lost time through a series of takeovers and partnerships, gradually forging themselves a place in the participatory Web, and keeping up with the latest trends. • Icons of the second generation, MySpace and Facebook are thus proving serious competitors for older players, as their success is spilling out well beyond the 2.0 sphere and putting them at the top of traffic rankings in the United States and other countries around the globe, notably in Europe. Read on line »