In with the new!

2005 was an amazing year, both for me (now us, the whole team) here at WeBreakStuff, as well as the web in general. We’ve seen the grand adoption of the term Web 2.0. We’ve seen quality web-based applications and the re-discovery of long-lost internet technologies. We’ve seen a focus on user-experience and simplicity. We’ve seen companies being bought and companies growing. All things considered, I must say I’m extremely excited with the prospect of an even better 2006.

Hot moments of 2005:

Here’s a trip down a not-so-distant memory lane. The highlights of 2005, in no particular order:

• Ajax: New terminology for aging technologies gave the web a fresh feeling of experience innovation. While the quirks with widespread use of Ajax are still matter for concern and something all of us are going to have to adapt to, it is great to see some of the new things popping about.
• User-centric applications: 2005 marks the shift from a feature-centric to a user-centric approach to web development and online usability. We’ve seen some great new applications emerge, much to the praise of early adopters and productivity fans.
• Podcasts: User-generated content sees a new boom with the widespread adoption, creation and consumption of podcasts (both audio and video). This new era showed the old media houses what to expect from the mass of internet users who are a part of the read/write movement.

So much more has happened that not discriminating events from last year would turn this blogpost into an endless rant about innovation and web change. So, let’s stop looking at the past, and continue building the future.