Web 2.0 using it can save you time and money!

By Rick Castellini Special to PRIME The "Web," as we know it today, turned 12 years old this year. In tech terms, that might be considered ancient. However, the Internet continues to persevere and become more entrenched in our lives every day. In fact, over the past few years, a revolution started and is now known as Web 2.0. Another term that is developing alongside Web 2.0 is "cloud computing" which means about the same thing ... computing in a web browser versus traditional boxed software. So what is Web 2.0? Web 2.0 refers to how many computer functions can take place on the Internet today. Computer users can now compose word processing documents, create spreadsheets and databases, of course take care of email, and even manage digital photos all online. As an added bonus, the vast majority of these web applications are free. What does this mean for you and me? Because web applications live on the Internet, we can access our data and these tools from any computer, anytime, anywhere in the world. For some people's use, the applications may not be robust enough, yet, for their needs and thus still need a traditional desktop application. But for a vast majority of the computing public, web applications make a lot of sense. If you are tired of endless upgrades and buggy software that requires ever more powerful computer hardware, give Web 2.0 applications a look. The only requirements you need are a computer with a modern browser (Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, or Safari on the Mac side) and a high speed Internet connection. Dial-up connections just don't have enough speed to support these kinds of applications. Some of what Web 2.0 can do My current favorite Web 2.0 applications are: Drupal (www.Drupal.org) - Content Management System for web sites. We use it at HelpMeRick.com Zoho Office (www.zoho.com) - Word processing, spreadsheets, database, calendar and more. My favorite by far. Google Apps (docs.google.com") - Word processing, calendaring, and spreadsheet power from any computer ... from Google Yahoo Mail Beta (mail.yahoo.com) - Yahoo is close to releasing a web mail interface that works as well or better than any desktop solution Blogger (A, haref="http://www.blogger.com">www.blogger.com)- Although we don't use this service anymore on our own site, it still remains a favorite of mine because of its ease of use del.icio.us (http:// http://del.icio.us/) I don't use this yet, but millions of other folks are absolutely hooked on this bookmarking site. ThinkFree (www.thinkfree.com) Online office productivity applications with 1 GB of storage and fully compatible with Microsoft Office Microsoft and other software manufacturers worry about Web 2.0 because it means revenue loss for them. In fact, they are working hard to try and bringsome of their desktop applications to the web as web applications to stay competitive in this new market. As good as Web 2.0 is, I can't wait to see what 3.0 brings to our browsers. I'm including a few more links for you to browse with more links to Web 2.0 sites and applications: The Best Web 2.0 sites 2006 http://tinyurl.com/33oor5 All things Web 2.0 http://www.allthingsweb2.com Wikipedia Web 2.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2 Complete List of Web 2.0 applications http://tinyurl.com/dxz57 Rick Castellini hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, is an author and computer consultant in Colorado. Visit his web site at www.HelpMeRick.com for practical tips and computer information every week.