Jan 23 readings

I think Tim O’ Reilly’s article goes into great detail about software application and what it means for Web 2.0. I found the part about Bittorrent software the most interesting because that is an application I use. It is true that the more people use a file, the better it works. I find on Bittorent that when something has more people “seeding” a file, it downloads faster and is better quality. When more people become familiar with a new software and start using it, they figure out ways to make it better and bring more people into using it so it becomes mainstream. I also think Wikipedia is a fascinating idea. The fact that anyone anywhere can edit whatever they want, and millions of people will probably read it and accept it as fact is amazing. It really seems to me like one of the top forms of Web 2.0. I think before long we will have to ask ourselves whether it is more important to have many multiple forms of text on the internet that everyone can contribute to, or to have limited amounts of it with factual accuracy.