Web 2.0 and Podcasting: Where is this heading?

Since the development of the Web 2.0 theory, created by Tim O'Reilly, the Internet has taken on certain qualities that can be described as a second generation of the web. More and more web-based communities are being developed which include social-networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, as well as thousands of blogs created by any average user of the web. Through these types of websites, people are able to use their creativity to create and share information with other users. While this may appear to be a beneficial use of networking, there are potential downsides to it.

Sharing one's thoughts and feelings via the various means of communication of the web, including blogs and Podcasting, has become increasingly popular over the past few years. Sites such as Youtube have members posting videos daily, sharing various aspects of their lives such as likes and dislikes, or even sharing their feelings with complete strangers. This issue of privacy is a little unsettling. Although these types of technology connect us with people from parts of the world that used to be inaccessible, there are also people watching these videos at the same time who you may not want watching. Privacy settings can be adjusted, however, it is difficult to completely aware of who it is observing and reading into you.

There are many perks to the Web 2.0 concept. The more software development and programming that is done, the faster the Internet can progress, making the world even more accessible to the average person. One should really be careful about what they choose to share with the world though, because someone will always be watching.