web 2.0 is

Web 2.0 is ... we defined it in class but I'm still not sure what it is. I said it was a give and take between you and an audience, an invisble but vocal audience. Then someone told me that web 2.0 is an umbrella term for a new way to use the internet. A more interactive way to use it. It's not just watching but participating. This creates on online community. But so what. You create this community but how does it benefit you. Shouldn't you be out making friends instead of just staring at a computer screen. We live in a society that's too attached to the media anyway. Get away from it is my first response. On the wetpaint site I see del.icio.us, newtvibes/rss, social networking, blogging, wiki, digg.com, geo information system, Online Meeting, document collaboration, video blog, tagging. These are under the umbrella of web 2.0. Blogging is what I'm doing now. It's an assignment my instructor gave me. Seems fairly easy, but I'm still not sure how beneficial it is. Tagging seems to be just a slideshow. It's not loading on my school computer, so I can't tell you any more about it.
"Web 2.0 has been defined as a combination of advancements in two areas: technology and community. " The technology component of this quote reaches back to Skinner's ideas of behaviorism and the usability of the screen. I'm not sure how it's connected. It is said that the more people who join these sites the better it is. It creates community centering on specific ideas or goals.