Web 2.0 is becoming the end all and be all of the internet.  Websites want to be the best in the social networking world.  It’s really exciting when you find out that your little site has won a prestigious award.  It is not so exciting if you discover that everyone and your grandmother also got the same award.  It’s the internet equivalent of a participation trophy.

Is there any real way to tell if your site is among the best?  I know of people that are making money from websites that could be written by my eight year old (who hates to write).  At the same time, there are sites out there that are generating plenty of traffic and putting out quality material and aren’t making a dime.  Clearly, money is not the clear answer as to whether or not your site is a good one.

If knowing who is on top is not a matter of money or awards, then it must be a matter of personal perception.  If you want to get a lot of traffic and you are then you are tops in your own eyes.  If you want to be one of the folks the news stations call, and they do, then that is a sign you are tops in that area.

Awards are great, but they are not the only way to judge a website.

The internet is becoming a more acceptable form of communication for many in the baby boom generation.  These less than tech savvy surfers are trying to negotiate their way through forums, chat room, websites, and blogs.  With the expansion of Web 2.0, the field is becoming even more dangerous.  Many of the new users end up abusing their own sites, often without ever coming to realize it.

Recently, my SIL set up a website so that friends and family from around the world would be able to get updated information about her small children and about my brother (who has recently started back to med school).  The interesting thing was listening to my parents discuss how her site worked.  My dad insisted it was a blog.  My mother insisted it wasn’t.  Neither of them would really know a blog if it bit them in the rear end. 

It’s easy to get lost in all the technical jargon that comes with the internet territory.  Instead of avoiding the technology or finding out too late that you are using it all wrong, just take your time.  There are classes at almost all community colleges or universities that will walk you through the basics of the internet.  Once you get the basics down, you’ll find that there are online classes available to help you expand your world.

Chess is a game my children learned early.  At just 8 and 10, they enjoy playing with each other or against the computer with the software that I’ve purchased.  It’s more of a video game than a straight chess match, so they seem to play it longer.  It just leaves me wondering if they are learning how to better their chess game with the help of this software or if they are only trying to reach the next level.

I’m not an expert chess player myself, but I enjoy the challenge of thinking ahead of my opponent and then luring them in the direction I want.  It can be great tactical information - especially if you find yourself in a business meeting that isn’t quite going the way you saw it. 

Chess is not only a great game; it’s a great analogy for life.  I would love for there to be software (and maybe a curriculum) developed around the strategic concepts involved in chess.  This way I would feel more confident that my children were going to get more than a few hours of entertainment from the game.

For now, I’ll just have to rely on the software I have found and continue to keep my eyes out for something more and better.  I’ll use our one-on-one games to push forward the chess concepts as I know them and to gauge what the computer is teaching them.  Even if it’s only where the pieces can go and when, I know it will be more than most children their ages are getting today.

It amazes me how many people that use the internet aren’t worried about someone stealing their information.  Part of the lax attitudes comes because they don’t realize that someone would concern themselves with average ordinary people.  Part of it comes because they don’t understand how vulnerable they are.  The first line of defense is the passwords they use, and most passwords used today are as easy to crack as 1, 2, 3.

The key to a good password is to mix it up.  You need some capital letters, some numbers, and some symbols - if the site will allow symbols.  It is NOT a good idea to use your social security number or your birthday.  These can be easy numbers to find and they can lead to identity theft in the future.

The second idea to consider about a strong password is that it NOT be an actual word.  It is best to have a misspelling or even a made up word that others wouldn’t be able to figure out with ease.  If you aren’t a movie star or some other individual in the spot light, then odds are a difficult password will be enough to keep you safe from the hackers.

Some last ideas about passwords.  Keep a list of your passwords in a spot away from your computer.  If someone does steal your computer, they will still have the challenge of cracking your passwords.  It would also be a good idea to set new passwords every few months.

The password is your first line of defense against the bad guys.  Having a simple password is like living your home or car unlocked.  It is an invitation for trouble.

The social community of web 2.0 has its fingers in every aspect of life.  Blogs, Myspace, Facebook, and other applications are making the world a community of neighbors.  It’s affecting everything from how you do your taxes or cook your dinners to how you vote in elections.

The democrats pushed the revolution to a new level (good or bad is still up for debate) when they choose to do a live debate on YouTube.  The republicans declined to offer to follow suit.  But all the candidates have seemed to embrace the internet with blogs, websites, and other uses of the medium.

MySpace has pages for all the candidates and it is set to have the candidates do live interviews in the next few weeks.  This is a push to get the youth involved in the election, but will have other repercussions as well.

The internet could be the catalyst for grassroots efforts to take over the nominations.  Online communications make the process seem more intimate and tend to encourage people to have a more personal stake in the outcome.

It is a fine line between trying to pull new voters into the process through the use of new and unusual means and crossing over to situations that demean the very position that it is trying to promote.  Candidates need to use the internet with discretion and dignity.