HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
limited to personal use only. The business world has also discovered the marketing
reach that Twitter can provide. Business Week reported that Dell's use of Twitter
resulted in $500,000 of new orders within a 12-month period.
Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary (RSS)
is used to create newsfeeds from
blog postings and other Web sites. The RSS feeds contain a summary of new items
posted to the site. The URL to the RSS feed is usually indicated by the letters XML or
RSS in white text within an orange rectangle. A
newsreader
is needed to access the
information. Some browsers, such as Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer (version 7 or
later) can display RSS feeds. Commercial and shareware newsreader applications are
also available. The newsreader will poll the feed URL at intervals and display the new
headlines when requested. RSS provides Web site developers with a method to push
new content to interested parties and (hopefully) generate return visits to the site.
Podcasts
are audio files on the Web—they may take the format of an audio blog, radio
show, or interview. Podcasts are typically delivered by an RSS feed but can also be made
available by recording an MP3 file and providing a link on a Web page. These files can
be saved to your computer or to an MP3 player (such as an iPod) for later listening.
Forrester Research (
http://forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,36428,00.html)
predicts that by 2010 more than 12 million households will access podcasts.
Flickr (
http://www.flickr.com/)
and del.icio.us (
http://del.icio.us/)
are two social software
sites that provide information-sharing opportunities. Flickr, a photo sharing site, calls
itself the “best way to store, search, sort, and share your photos.” Acquired by Yahoo!,
del.icio.us is a collection of favorite sites—allowing registered users to post lists of
favorites, share their favorites with others, and discover new sites. Web sites such as
Wikipedia, Flickr, Twitter, and del.icio.us are examples of what is called
Web 2.0
. While
a consensus on the definition of Web 2.0 still needs to be reached, think of it as the next
step in the transition of the Web from isolated static Web sites to a platform that utilizes
technology to provide rich interfaces and social networking opportunities. Visit
http://www.go2web20.net
and use the search engine to find Web 2.0 sites. Read Tim
O'Reilly's informative Web 2.0 essay at
http://oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/
09/30/what-is-web-20.html
for more information on this developing topic.
The single future trend that you can expect to remain the same is the trend of constant
change. Internet- and Web-related technologies are in a constant state of development
and improvement. If constant change and the need to learn something new excites you,
Web development is a fascinating field. The skills and knowledge you gain in this topic
should provide a solid foundation for your future learning.
FAQ
What is the next big thing on the Web?
The Web is changing by the minute. Check the textbook's companion Web site at
http://webdevfoundations.net
for a blog that will help you stay current about Web trends.
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