If you look at any web forums or aggregator sites like Digg, you’ll usually find several news items about web 2.0.  The term reportedly came about from a brainstorming session between O'Reilly and MediaLive International in 2001.  Web 2.0 refers to the evolution of the web and the way it’s being used by consumers.  Fast forward to 2007 and the evolution has just begun.

Web 2.0 is still being discussed and the way consumers interface with the web is still evolving.  Social networking sites are more popular then ever and more niche sites are popping up than ever before.  The weblog or blog has emerged from the realm of the computer enthusiast to the main stream. But that’s not the only thing that has changed. Google is now facing competition in the search engine market from rivals Yahoo and MSN.  More and more consumers are now turning to the internet instead of traditional media outlets to get their news, connect with friends, purchase products or even find a recipe.

The internet is still in its infancy. As the web has evolved, so has the way in which it’s used.  Seen at first as a just another computer geek’s toy, the internet changed the way the world communicated.  During that time the name of the game was domain names. Certain domain names sold for ridiculous amounts of money. After the dot com bust, the game evolved again, this time focusing on content. As the evolution continued, social networking and interaction with web surfers became more and more of a draw….and blogs were leading the charge.

There is no typical blog owner any more. Years ago you could with almost absolute certainty describe a blog owner as a computer professional or very computer literate person.  That has changed dramatically in the last few years.  Now blog owners are as varied as the grains of sand on a beach.  Niche sites that cater to these new bloggers have sprung up everywhere, from realtors to stay at home moms.

The blogging craze has also hit corporate America and the media. Many companies now have their own blogs or individual blog sites. If you watch Dateline, there is usually a plug for The Mank blog, written by Dateline correspondent Josh Mankiewicz. Same thing for many other television shows, not just news programs.

Now blogs are more popular than ever. Sites like Technorati and Mybloglog have thousands of registered users. They allow blog owners to connect with other like minded members and gain exposure for their sites.  Both sites also offer free add-ons (widgets) that blog owners can add to their blog to give it additional functionality. Doing a blog widget search will yield thousands of free widgets. Some sites like widgetbox.com will even convert your blog into a widget. With such versatility and ease of use, it’s no wonder that blogs have become so prevalent on the web.

There are several reasons I feel that new evolved blogging platforms will become the next generation of websites. In my next post, I’ll delve into the reasons why blogs have become so successful and why the sites of the future will incorporate many of the features common to the blogs of today.

About the author: Charles Richey is the webmaster for the highly successful Las Vegas real estate site, lvrealty.net. He has been an avid computer enthusiast since he received his first PC on his 10th birthday. He also authors a blog about the Las Vegas real estate market and other local news.

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