How does a word processing program redefine the Web? Well, for one thing, it's free. For another, it infuses static Web pages with added power, speed, and networking features desktop applications deny
users. With Writely, people can collaborate, and groups can work together on documents, making changes that appear in real time without the need to reload a page. These kinds of innovations, which
boost efficiency and productivity, are fueling the second coming of Internet businesses, what
Business Week calls Web 2.0. Companies like Google, which just scooped up Writely, and Yahoo,
which bought social bookmarking site del.icio.us. a few months ago, are tapping these new growth avenues in the competitive feeding frenzy surrounding the wide open new media frontier. The exciting
thing, experts say, is that today's Web 2.0 applications, social bookmarking, RSS, Web-based word processing programs and podcasting, still only reach niche audiences. It's up to media companies like
Google and Yahoo to bring them to the masses.
Read the whole story at Business Week »