What Does It All Mean?
Although the phrase Web 2.0 has gained popularity since 2004, many of the underlying concepts and tools are much older. Let's look at the various
tools, how each is used, examples, Federal guidance, ideas for Federal use, and known issues.
Common Name(s)
Definition
How Used
Federal Users /
Examples
Federal Guidance
Ideas for Fed Use
Known Issues
Blog (a contraction of
the term web log)
A blog is a type of
website with regular
entries of commentary,
descriptions of events, or
other material such as
graphics or video.
In the 1990s, internet
forum software created
running conversations
with "threads" (topical
connections between
messages on a
metaphorical corkboard).
The term Weblog coined
in 1997 and blog in
1999.
The official blog of the
Secretary of
Transportation
http://fastlane.dot.gov/
Webcontent.gov
provides advice on
government blogs
http://www.usa.gov/webc
ontent/technology/blogs.
shtml
So Why Blog in
Government?

Weblog
Micro-blog
Microblog
Entries are commonly
displayed in reversechronological order.
"Blog" can also be used
There are many different
as a verb, meaning to
maintain or add content types of blogs.
Personal blogs
to a blog.
an ongoing diary or
Many blogs provide
commentary by an
commentary or news on
individual, is the most
a particular subject;
others function as online common blog. Microblogging, is detailed
diaries. A typical blog
blogging seeking to
combines text, images,
capture a moment in
and links to other blogs,
time (share thoughts and
Web pages, and other
media related to its topic. feelings instantly).
The ability for readers to
leave comments in an
interactive format is an
important part of many
blogs.
Corporate blogs used
internally to enhance the
communication and
culture in a corporation
or externally for
marketing, branding, or
public relations
purposes.
Question blogging
answer questions
submitted to a form,
through email, or other
means.
GovGab.gov
As of March 2008 there
were 20 Federal-Agency
public facing blogs. This
number has grown.
 Attract new audiences 
 Put a human face on
government
 Open conversations


Defamation or
liability
Employment
damage
Political dangers
Personal safety
Issues of Fed Use:

Who can write/
represent agency?

Enough content?

Long-term
commitment?

What content?

Who reviews?
Common Name(s)
Definition
Folksonomy
How Used
Federal Users /
Examples
Federal Guidance
Ideas for Fed Use
Known Issues
Traditional subject
Collaborative Tagging indexing, metadata is
generated by experts
Social Classification
from controlled list of
keywords. In a userSocial Indexing
generated taxonomy,
Social Tagging
metadata is generated
by experts but also by
Tagging
creators and consumers
of content. Usually,
freely chosen keywords
are used.
Tagging by users has
USA.gov
been around since about http://www.usa.gov/
2002.
NASA
A tag cloud is one way http://www.nasa.gov/
folksonomy is used.
User selected tags
appear as heavier and
lighter clickable words
around a central term.
The darker the term the
more popular.
Increase the popularity
and use of .gov pages,
information, and
services. Viral marketing
Lack of term control
causes it to produce
unreliable and
inconsistent results. If
tags are freely chosen
(instead of from a given
vocabulary), four
problems persist; plurals,
polysemy (word or
phrase with multiple,
related meanings),
synonymy, and depth
(specificity) of tagging.
Micro-blog
Presence Network
Twitter
(refer also to blog)
Twitter is a social
networking and
micro-blogging service
that enables users to
send and read other
users' updates (tweets)
Tweets are text-based
Medicaid HHS
posts of up to 140
http://twitter.com/medicai
characters. Many users d
update frequently. Other
services are: Jaiku,
Cromple, Pownce
Broadcast messages:
emergencies, news,
announcements. Real
time reporting.
Recruiting
Refer to blog issues.
Also, generator should
be wary of too many or
too few posts which
loose users.
Multimedia
see video sharing, photo
sharing, and podcasting
[audio]
Various file types being
available or viewed in
one place but primarily
audio, video, and
photos.
Multimedia is used in a
variety of ways nearly
unlimited
Refer to examples.
Refer to individual issues
Generally, a centralized for each type
place to locate and view
or listen to associated
information.
Photo Sharing
(multimedia)
A way of publishing
photo files on the web so
they can be viewed or
downloaded onto
computers or portable
devices.
A user locates a photo
USA.gov Photo Libraries
they wish to share and http://www.usa.gov/Topi
uploads it to the service. cs/Multimedia.shtml
Another user views or
downloads it. Some can
rate or comment also.
Podcasting
(multimedia)
A way of publishing MP3
audio files on the web so
they can be downloaded
to computers or portable
listening devices.
Podcasting allows users
to subscribe to a feed of
new audio files using
"podcatching" software
(a type of aggregator),
which checks for and
downloads new audio
files. Any digital audio
player or computer
with audio software
can play podcasts.
A user locates a sound
file they wish to share
and uploads it to the
service. Another user
listens to or downloads
it. Users may be able to
rate or comment on
casts.
USA.gov Multimedia
Library
http://www.usa.gov/Topi
cs/Multimedia.shtml
USA.gov podcasts
http://www.usa.gov/Topi
cs/Reference_Shelf/Libr
aries/Podcasts.shtml
iTunes government
category
Podcasting advice
http://www.usa.gov/webc
ontent/technology/podca
sting.shtml
In the case of agencies,
it is likely that only the
agency would post
photos allowing outside
users to view or
download them.
Depends on use, but
508 compliance should
be observed for image
descriptions
In the case of agencies,
it is likely that only the
agency would post files
allowing outside users to
listen or download them.
Depends on use, but
508 compliance should
be observed for audio
transcripts
Issues of Fed Use:

Who can write/
represent agency?

Enough content?

What content?
Common Name(s)
Social Networking
Syndicated Web Feed
Definition
How Used
Federal Users /
Examples
EPA Facebook group,
Online groups of people The first networks
who share interests
existed since 1978 with NASA Colab, USAgov
and/or activities. Most
Usenet, ARPANET, and Facebook page,
MySpace, Linkedin
contain directories of
LISTSERV as some
categories (for example examples.
field of research), means Today, MySpace and
to connect with friends
FaceBook are some of
(self-description pages), the most recognized and
and recommender
widely used. LinkedIn is
systems linked to trust
popular for business
A variety of ways for
use. Dating applications
users to interact, such
and healthcare networks
as e-mail and instant
are other examples of
messaging services.
this type of Web 2.0.
Federal Guidance
Ideas for Fed Use
Known Issues
FTA blocks certain
aspects of Facebook, in
particular a class of
actions it interprets as
"games". This should
not currently interfere
with FTA use of the tool
Users need to be aware
of data theft or viruses.
Perceived privacy
threats related to placing
personal information in
the hands of
governmental bodies,
detrimental to an
individual.
Issue over the control of
data—information having
been altered or removed
by the user may be
retained and/or passed
on.
A web feed (or news
feed) is a data format
used for providing users
with frequently updated
content. Content
distributors syndicate a
web feed, thereby
allowing users to
subscribe to it. Making a
collection of web feeds
accessible in one spot is
known as aggregation,
which is performed by an
Internet aggregator. A
web feed is also
sometimes referred to as
a syndicated feed.
A content provider
publishes a feed link on
their site which users
can register with an
aggregator program
(also called a feed
reader or a news reader)
running on their own
machines. When
instructed, the
aggregator asks all
servers in its feed list if
they have new content; if
so, the aggregator
downloads it.
Aggregators can be
scheduled to check for
new content periodically.
Video Sharing
(multimedia)
A way of publishing
video files on the web so
they can be viewed or
downloaded onto
computers or portable
devices.
Users locate and upload NASA YouTube
videos to the site. Other http://www.youtube.com/
users view or download user/ReelNASA
the videos, indicate
popularity, and offer
coments.
Post Agency and Mode,
title, expiration if any,
captioned yes or no on
the entry page or
description of the video.
In the case of agencies,
it is likely that only the
agency would post files
allowing outside users to
view or download them.
Depends on use, but
508 compliance should
be observed for audio
transcripts and image
descriptions (Captioning)
Virtual Worlds
Simulations of
environments and
people.
Users create an online
identity and interact with
others in an online world
with a set of rules.
Federal Consortium for
Virtual Worlds, National
Defense University and
20+ agencies
http://www.ndu.edu/irmc/
fedconsortium.html
Public outreach & other
communication for kids
and niche audiences.
Virtual Town Halls,
Education, Training.
Worldwide meetings,
lectures, etc
Issues of Fed Use:

Who can represent
agency?

Long-term
commitment?

What content?
RSS
Aggregation
Web Feed
Syndicated Feed
USA.gov library of
federal RSS feeds
http://www.usa.gov/Topi
cs/Reference_Shelf/Libr
aries/RSS_Library.shtml
RSS advice
GovDelivery can be
Issues of Fed Use:
http://www.usa.gov/webc linked as RSS (although 
Who can write/
ontent/technology/rss.sht currently is not).
represent agency?
ml

Enough content?

Long-term
USGS guidance on
commitment?
EPA RSS feed
creating RSS feeds

What content?
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ http://www.usgs.gov/cor

Who reviews?
opa/admpress.nsf/RSS ecast/docs/rss_cheatshe
et.pdf
government Second Life
http://wiki.secondlife.com
/wiki/Real_Life_Governm
ent_in_Second_Life
NOAA Virtual Island
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=is8YX32GAyQ
Common Name(s)
Definition
How Used
Federal Users /
Examples
Federal Guidance
Widgets, Gadgets,
Pipes
Small applications and Brings content to the
FBI Widgets:

code in web pages or for user's home page
http://www.fbi.gov/widget
desktop use.
(iGoogle, netvibes, etc.) s.htm
Embed other's
widgets into your
website
Census Population

Clock:
http://widgets.yahoo.com
/widgets/world
population-clock
Create widgets to
expand reach &
functionality
NASA Planet
Discoveries:
http://planetquest.jpl.nas

a.gov/widget.cfm
Wiki
Collaborative authoring
and editing
A page or collection of
Web pages designed to
enable anyone who has
accesses to contribute or
modify content
(excluding blocked
users), using a simplified
markup language.
A defining characteristic
of wiki technology is the
ease with which pages
can be created and
updated.
There may be greater
use of wikis behind
firewalls than on the
public internet.
More Web 2.0 Terms
Chat Room
Chatroom
Any form of synchronous
conferencing. The term
can mean any
technology ranging from
real-time online chat
over instant messaging
and online forums to fully
immersive graphical
social environments.
Communicating by
sending text messages
to people in the same
chat-room in real-time.
Some use both text and
voice. Talkomatic (1974)
has a strong claim to be
the prototype of the textonly chat rooms.
Known Issues
Increase awareness,
use, and usefulness of
.gov sites, information,
and service.
Depends on use.
Are we ready for
Govipedia?
Typically, there is no
review before
modifications are
accepted. Many wikis
are open to alteration by
the general public
without registration.
Encourage
developers to create
widgets with your
data
Support your
widgets
Wikis have been around GSA Collab Environment Fed uses mostly
since 1995.
http://colab.cim3.net/cgi- enterprise wikis,
restricted to communities
In the early 2000s, wikis bin/wiki.pl/
of practice.
NASA were increasingly
adopted in enterprise as http://oodt.jpl.nasa.gov/w
collaborative software.
iki/homepage.action
Common uses included US Courts
project communication, http://www.ca7.uscourts.
intranets, and
gov/wiki/index.php?title=
documentation, initially
Practitioner's_Handbook
for technical users.
Today some companies
use wikis as their only
collaborative software
and as a replacement for
static intranets.
Ideas for Fed Use
For now, creating a
presence on Wikipedia
for individual agencies
and reviewing that
content often for
changes is a good start. The open philosophy of
most wikis means
Glossaries of terms,
vandalism can be a
acronyms, etc. are also
major problem. In larger
a potential wiki use
although registered user wiki sites vandalism can
go unnoticed for a period
access may be
of time. Wikis are
preferred.
susceptible to intentional
disruption, known as
"trolling". Wikis tend to
take a soft security
approach to the problem
of vandalism; making
damage easy to undo
rather than attempting to
prevent damage.
Common Name(s)
Definition
Interoperability
A property referring to
the ability of diverse
systems and
organizations to work
together.
Mashups
Combining content from
multiple sources for an
integrated experience
How Used
Federal Users /
Examples
USA Search
http://usasearch.gov/sea
rch?input-form=simplefirstgov&v:project=firstgo
vweb&query=national+par
ks&x=31&y=21
Virtual Earth, Google
Maps, etc.
http://www.epa.gov/regio
n03/interactive_map.htm
l
FAA Flight Status
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyf
aa/usmap.jsp
Social News Sites
Users link to news items
on websites, tagging
them and other users
vote on how popular the
news is.
Digg This is one popular
site. Users link to news
items (most real news)
and others "dig" or
"bury" the piece. The
most "digged" pieces
appear in favorites lists
overall and in special
category favorites.
Federal Guidance
Ideas for Fed Use
Known Issues