Reading passage

Reading Passage After the dot-com crash in the late 90’s, many people felt the web was over hyped and on the decline.  Since then a new paradigm has emerged called Web 2.0.  Web 2.0 is hard to define clearly but it has a lot to do with user-generated content and a focus on the many small websites and individual users who comprise the bulk of the web.  Web 2.0 companies focus on user satisfaction and rely on viral marketing to promote themselves.  Many companies use Web 2.0 as a marketing buzzword but if they are paying for advertising to promote themselves they probably aren’t a true Web 2.0 company.  Social networking sites like Facebook are a great example of a Web 2.0 company because they provide a free platform for users to upload pictures and add their friends.  Because so many people like it and want their friends to join, a huge portion of the advertising is done through word of mouth.  The website gets better the more people use it which is another feature of Web 2.0.  They earn money from advertising but keep the product free for the users.  The product is always in “beta” which means its continuously being improved upon.   Key vocabulary and phrases that are discussed in the podcast: Over hyped – exaggerated.  When people think that something is better than it really is.  Paradigm – There are a few different definitions but the one for this context is “way of thinking about something”.  User-generated content – This is a term which means when the actual users of a website create a lot of the content for it.  Viral marketing – a type of product promotion that relies on a high pass along rate from person to person.  The product spreads like a virus.  Someone tells their friends about a product, who in turn tell their friends, and so on.  Marketing buzzword – A term you use to call your company or describe a product so that it makes potential buyers seem interested in it.  Social networking websites – websites where users interact and communicate with each other.  People go on the website and chat with their friends and make new friends.  Word of mouth – This is similar to “viral marketing”.  “Word of mouth” refers to people telling other people about something.  Both good and bad things can spread by word of mouth.  Beta – a term that refers to a non-completed product.  Often companies make a beta version of their product, get consumer feedback, and then make a finished product.  1. There has been a ________shift lately in the way biologists are thinking about DNA. 2. If a product is always in _________ it means that it is never really finished and is always being improved upon.   3. Facebook and dating sites are examples of _________________________. 4. Google is a company who became popular because of _____________. 5. I was disappointed when I saw that movie.  I think it was ____________ by a lot of people. 6. Rumors and complaints about something can also spread by ________________. 7. “Low fat” could be a ________________ on a food product.  They hope health conscious people will want to buy it because it says “Low fat”. 8. Most of the content on Facebook and Myspace is ______________.