Web 2.0 and 4Share

When asked in class if I knew what Web 2.0 was, I wasn't sure. But after doing some research, I realize I use Web 2.0 everyday; I was just unaware of the name. I was more familiar with the term "Cloud Computing" which is the same idea. The term Web 2.0 was coined in 1999, but really took off over the last seven years or so. This new web-based platform facilitates information-sharing and collaboration and is a way to access applications, services and files on the web without actually downloading them. There are a lot of characteristics and benefits to Web 2.0 but the main point to take away is the decreasing dependence on local computers. A couple of emerging examples of Web 2.0 are social networking sites and blogging. There is a comprehensive web chart (Figure 1) on O'Reilly.com that provides great additional information.                                                                                                                           



One way you can take advantage of Web 2.0 is to sign up for 4shared. It was created in 2005 and is a free online storage for any kinds of files you upload: music, video, photos, documents, etc. After uploading your files, you can also create folders and choose whether or not to share your files/folders. If you decide to choose, you can allow for collaboration with others or format your file as a read only to prevent any alterations. Where do these files go after you upload them? Good question. Your given a independent virtual drive of 10GB which is hosted on a high-speed server. For teachers, this is a valuable tool because it allows us to access our files across multiple computers. We are also able to upload files without worrying about running out of space on our home computers. Another effective function of 4share in a classroom is that teachers and students can share and collaborate on documents. Please check out the reviews of two 4shared users and go to 4shared to signed up!

Comment #7 by: barneydurant on 01 Jun 2011, 22:28 UTC
4shared Desktop has a intuitive interface that will be understandable for the most computer users. It's fast, helpful and nice looking :). Lets users to operate their 4shared account even easier. No need to use Internet browser for this purpose.

Comment #4 by: stevemcnamar on 24 May 2011, 15:08 UTC
Actually, it is one of the my favourite services in the web. Second one after google:) once my pc has been crashed and i have been lost all of my photos. 2 weeks before, i had upload all my files to 4shared , and even photos so this pc crash wasn't not so terrifying for me. thanks to 4shared.