Research and Discussion of Web2.0 Tools

The technologies of Web 2.0 have changed the manner in which the web is used and viewed. Instead of just a mechanism to provide information, the web is now interactive and harnessing the wisdom of many through wikis, blogs, and communities. New terms have been coined or resurrected to explain the new phenomenon; crowd-sourcing, social networking, collective intelligence and many more.

(Howe, J.) Organizations no longer only use the Web as a tool for information dissemination and marketing but as a way to include the customer base in design, development and support. Web 2.0 is about inclusion, harnessing the wisdom of many to reach new conclusions and optimizing research and learning.


One of the typical characterizations of Web 2.0 is the Dynamic Updates. “Ajax” technologies enable pages to be updated in increments. Web applications may also allow automatic updates such as providing updated stock quotes, sports scores, temperatures or other information.

Utilizing Web Services, a Web page can be made up of information from numerous different sources. Different portions of the page can be identified with a role of region indicating that it is a perceivable unit which is given a title.

Regions have properties which identify the type of region and how it is updated. Live regions have added semantics to identify the type of update and how the user should be notified. Users will not be notified of updates marked as polite until any current activity is completed. On the other side of the field are updates marked as “rude” which are high priority and should interrupt any current activity.


With the use of standard scripting, input focus, and semantic metadata, the Accessible Rich Internet Application specification allows Web 2.0 applications and interfaces to be available to all users, including those in need of assistive technologies. It is of vital importance that the browser be able to communicate all of the required information on Web components to the assistive technology.


“Web 2.0” exemplifies the next generation of the Web supporting collective intelligence, community-based collaboration, social networking, content publishing, and content integration over the Internet.

It enables a standardized manner of representing fresh content to enable on-demand information sharing and aggregation for the Web community. Blogs let users generate online journals. Wikis allows users to add and edit content collectively.

With the introduction of Asynchronous Java-Script and XML (Ajax) technology, applications, such as mobile communications, knowledge sharing, desktop applications, podcasts, and the 3-dimentional virtual world, have utilized Web 2.0 technologies.

One of the main challenges with Web 2.0 is the use of “Asynchronous JavaScript and XML” (or Ajax) to dynamically build pages. On the other hand, there exist two main problems, particularly: 1) notifying the user that the page has been updated, and 2) if JavaScript has been turned off, calls to the server will not be possible.

Many anticipate that both browser and screen reader manufacturers will come up with solutions to these problems; although this might take some time. (Kanjilal, J.) An answer for building accessible Web 2.0 sites is to follow “Hijax” guidelines, which will allow Ajax type dynamic Web pages, while enabling furthermore accessible development. (Keith, J.)


Another issue with Web 2.0 applications is that they permit Web content authoring, and as a result entail accessibility in Web authoring. Consequently, they are subject not just to the “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines”, but as well as the “Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines” also.

Therefore, the accessibility of Web 2.0 relies largely on Web developers’ motivation to develop accessible sites in line with the guidelines of the “Web Access Initiative”. (WAI Homepage) Additionally, there are numerous companies providing services that will make sites accessible.


REFERENCES
Kanjilal, Joydip. Introducing Asynchronous Java Script and XML (Ajax) in ASP.NET. Ajax Matters. Accessed online, August 2007 at: http://www.ajaxmatters.com/articles/asp/intro_aspajax_p1.aspx
Keith, Jeremy. Hijax: Progressive Enhancement with Ajax. Accessed online, August 2007 at: http://xtech06.usefulinc.com/schedule/paper/29
Web Accessibility Initiative. WCAG 2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Available online at: http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/wcag2faq#update1
W3C (2000). Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0. Accessed online, August 2007 at: http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-AUTOOLS/atag10.pdf

REFERENCES
Anderson, Paul. What is Web 2.0? JISC Technology and Standards Watch, February 2007. Accessed online, August 2007 at: http://dissident.typepad.com/my_weblog/files/what_is_web_2.0%20(Jisc).pdf
Howe, Jeff. The Rise of Crowd Sourcing. Wired Magazine, Issue No. 14; June 6, 2006.
Tech Soup. Everything You Need to Know About Web 2.0. Accessed online, July 2007 at: http://www.techsoup.org/toolkits/web2/