Web 2.0 and You

Everybody loves throwing around the term Web 2.0, arguably the Internet buzzword of the decade. However, many modern professionals only have a vague understanding of what it means, or no idea at all. Let’s quickly shed some light on this trend, and what it means to you.

“Web 2.0” was coined by Tim O’Reilly, founder of tech media company O’Reilly Media, to describe a shift on the Internet toward an emphasis on user-generated content and online communities. Wikipedia and YouTube are made solely of content written and uploaded by their users. Online communities like Facebook and Twitter exist to connect users to one another through text, video and photos.

Facebook was created as a tool for college students to connect with friends but quickly expanded to other demographics. It’s a common misconception that mostly teenagers and college students use Facebook, since more than half of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is users 25 and older. Don’t underestimate Web 2.0’s very grown-up potential for profitability either: YouTube became so incredibly popular that Google bought the company in 2006 for $1.65 billion.

Social networking tools as a whole were generally thought of as friend trackers and dating sites until savvy companies began to use them for business purposes. Facebook and Twitter have become a boon to recruiters, who canvas the communities, building relationships and engaging candidates.

There’s absolutely no excuse to not have at least a Facebook profile online and kept up to date. If you’re a job seeker in the current market, you must be “plugged in” with the community to stay current and connected. The job hunt has changed, and an old cliché contains a kernel of truth: It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know.

Posted by Bill L.