(cross posting from Mike Riversdale: Enterprise 2.0 New Zealand style blog)

Basic

A great list of “Web 2.0” definitions from Miraz that we people that live on the Web use all the time but may confuse and intimidate those that don’t know. As Miraz ably demonstrates, most of the words are actually very easy to understand once someone takes the time to explain them:

The Internet is abuzz with a whole new vocabulary: memes and tags, posts and mashups, LOLcats, tweets and RSS. Friends, characters, flag, subscribe and interesting have a whole new meaning. This article helps you find your way in the new Web 2.0 world.

My particular favourites are:

LOLcats – pictures of cats, with humorous captions, written to a certain style. LOL is short for ‘Lots of Laughs’. Example: www.lolcats.com/view/55.

tags – Words that help describe something. A photo might be titled ‘Solace in the wind’, but have tags such as: wellington, waterfront, sculpture, statue, and so on.

Web 2.0 – Websites and services that make it easy for people to connect with one another by rating items, marking favourites, sharing, commenting and so on.

Read the complete list – and add more in the comments if you think something’s missing

Intermediate

Google Apps (applications) – what is it and what can you do with it/them. Watch this 2 minute video from Google*

Advanced

Microformats University: 100+ Articles and Resources by Jessica Hupp is a brilliant set of links to learn all about microformats and prepare for the soon to explode “semantic web”. As Jessica explains:

Microformats are small formatting pieces designed to make your data easier to read by both users and software. Although their use is not widespread, it’s important that every web developer becomes familiar with them, as they’re sure to be an integral part of the web’s future. Because of this, there are a number of articles and resources out there devoted to microformats. We’ve compiled more than 100 of the best here.

Includes links for:

  • Introduction
  • Implementation
  • Articles & Presentations
  • Tools
  • Tutorials
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Code
  • Information Sources

Further reading about microformats and the “semantic web”:

* for some great Microsoft Office 2007 advert placement

Mike Riversdale

I (Mike Riversdale, aka Miramar Mike) have worked all my professional life alongside users of information with my work with software vendors (Business Objects, Sydney), New Zealand government agencies (Department of Corrections, Ministry of Health, Christchurch City Council), charitable organisations (skylight) and private/public companies (Fronde, Etam). My focus is always on the real users and their information demands - I have been called the "people's poet"! Working for Fronde and as an independent consultant my role is to introduce the concepts, educate around the challenges and ultimately help deliver available, findable and useful information to those that need it. I am experienced in the full gamut of Enterprise 2.0 tools and, despite a leaning towards open source, I am totally vendor independent - whatever works for the client!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.