Web 2.0 draws together the capabilities of client- and server-side software, content syndication and the use of network protocols. Standards-oriented web browsers may use plugins and software extensions to handle the content and the user interactions. Web 2.0 sites provide users with information storage, creation, and dissemination capabilities that were not possible in the environment now known as "Web 1.0".
Web 2.0 websites typically include some of the following features and techniques. Andrew McAfee used the acronym SLATES to refer to them:[20]
- Search
- Finding information through keyword search.
- Links
- Guides to other related information.
- Authoring
- The ability to create and update content leads to the collaborative work of many rather than just a few web authors. In wikis, users may extend, undo and redo each other's work. In blogs, posts and the comments of individuals build up over time.
- Tags
- Categorization of content by users adding one-word descriptions to facilitate searching, without dependence on pre-made categories. This is referred to as "folksonomy."
- Extensions
- Software that makes the Web an application platform as well as a document server.
- Signals
- The use of syndication technology such as RSS to notify users of content changes.