Venture Capital: A new breed of Internet startups is here. A look at three Seattle-area ‘Web 2.0’ companies

Just what is Web 2.0?

The latest buzzword in the technology industry can be a little tough to define. Interactive Web sites that tap the knowledge of users? Collaborative technologies for small teams? Software delivered over the Internet as a service?

Wikipedia — the everevolving online encyclopedia that embodies many Web 2.0 characteristics — even struggles with a concise definition.

"The term ‘Web 2.0’ refers to development of the World Wide Web, including its architecture and its applications," the site says. "However, a consensus upon its exact meaning has not yet been reached."

Wikis, blogs, podcasts, really simple syndication, tagging and other technologies that help people share and distribute online content most frequently get slapped with the Web 2.0 label. Generally speaking, though, the concept embodies a new version of the Internet — a second edition that is more dynamic than the static Web pages that were developed in the 1990s.

By JOHN COOK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

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