I've been hooked on all things Web 2.0 since even before
Tim O'Reilly coined the phrase. Just within my bookmarks on my browser (Firefox, the perfect Web 2.0 browser), I have 85 Web 2.0 tools and applications bookmarked, along with literally hundreds more in my Delicious tags. Those 85 are bookmarked in my browser because I have actually registered with those sites (a common Web 2.0 ploy) in order to try them out and actually used them, at least once. They go from
Aviary to
Zui Prezi, a compendium of tools and apps that have changed the way I compute. I'm not even counting apps like
iTunes and sites like
audible.com which have bcome huge parts of my life (and that I consider part of the Web 2.0 space)
You can argue exactly what constitutes a Web 2.0 tool, but in my mind it is anything that pushes information to me or allows me to collaboratively work and share on the Web while using a Web-based interface - the browser as operating system...
My question is how many Web 2.0 tools are too many? Obviously the 85 that I have tried is way too many - besides many of those tools are long gone (have you noticed that another feature of Web 2.0 tools is that the word "Beta" must appear on their Web site somewhere?),
Pownce being one of the latest casualties, or been absorbed or morphed by competition. Having tried them as they appear does not mean that they are being used or even useful. Here is a list of the Web 2.0 tools that I use regularly, in no particular order:
- Blogspot - blogging
- PBWiki - wiki
- GMail - mail, chat, video chat, and so much more...
- NetVibes - RSS etc. aggregator
- Google Docs - office application suite, collaborative groupware and so much more
- Flickr - photos
- Photobucket - photos
- Twitter - micro-blogging and social networking
- Delicious - tagging
- Facebook - social networking
- LinkedIn - social networking
- Joost - online video and TV
And I know there are others that I visit on a less regular basis. Not bad - 12 down from 85 - but even with 12, it's become a full time job just keeping up trying to remain a cool Web 2.0 dude. The thing is, do I really need 12 Web 2.0 tools to do what I do on the Web (and what I do is more and more all on the Web, I think my desktop has cobwebs on it...)? I look at that list and it seems all I have done is transferred how I work with desktop apps to Web 2.0 apps - do I need to develop new skills and ways of integrating what I do, or am I looking for that one killer Web 2.0 (or Web 3.0, or Web 4.0...) app that will do it all (and I am becoming more and more convinced that the whole Google Apps/GMail/Google Labs mashup may just become that killer app)? Hmmm...
What Web 2.0 apps are you using and how are you using them? Have they changed the way you get and use information?...
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