The 1990’s through around 2003 were years when “Old School,” 1.0 style websites were the usual. Since then the internet has changed, and we have Web 2.0, the “New School” style websites, aka the “Read/Write Web. Here’s the difference.
1- Web 1.0 sites are not interactive. The visitors can passively read information but cannot interact, participate or share information or media. Web 2.0 websites offer things like “Comment” sections, where visitors can create and add their own content, or upload content. Facebook, (the number 2 most popular website on the internet according to Alexa.com) myspace, blogs with their comment sections, and youtube are all examples of interactive, Web 2.0.
2- “Old School” Web 1.0 was created before youtube, (the number 3 most popular site on the internet according to Alexa.com.) Does your website have videos, podcasts, multimedia? If so, it’s more like “New School” Web 2.0.
3- Social Media is a big part of Web 2.0, the new “New School” style internet. Does your site have Social Media Share buttons conveniently located near important data so the users can share it on their social media pages such such as Facebook and Twitter?
4- A Summary of characteristics of Web 2.0, the “New School” style website includes: (1) a website search box so visitors can search the website for topics, (2) Links focus: a collection of useful links and a focus on being connected to other sites who’ve linked to yours, (3) visitors can create and upload content, blogs and posts, which are articles, with comments that build up over time, (4) adding “tags” and perhaps categories, which act like keywords to help people find things (5) syndication ability, aka RSS, such as when someone can subscribe to a blog and receive updates of the new articles when they are posted.