If you're not sure what "Web 2.0" is, you're not alone.  This vague term, originally coined by O'Reilly Media in 2004, is used to categorize the "rebirth" of the Internet after the dot-com bust in the early 2000s. While analysts debate what the term actually encompasses, some critics see it as nothing more than a marketing buzzword. Buzzword or not, it's indisputable that the Internet has entered a new phase: The Internet purely as an information resource has morphed into the Internet as a social network. (For more on what defines Web 2.0, check out our Instant Expert: Web 2.0 Q&A.)

 

We searched the Internet for Web sites that best represent the new-generation Internet, sites that make the most of innovations like online collaboration, blogging, content tagging, wikis, and podcasts, and came up with the following ten.