Ajax, Web 2.0, etc. are the buzz words of this century, may be more than that. Web 2.0 is the supposed second generation of internet-based services and Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is the platform on which it is built. These bring vast improvement to the usability, design and functionality of websites.

Let's take a wide look. The characteristics of Web 2.0 are many. Increased user experience, wide participation, metadata, dynamic content, web standards, scalability, freedom, collective intelligence through user participation, etc. form some of it. The main purpose of Web 2.0 is to let the users get together and cooperate and share online. It is all about user-content ? like its byproducts - blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, folksonomies, podcasting, and so on. Following are the elements that go about making web 2.0.

Platform: This concept suggests that Web 2.0 is a foundation that needs to be built and that is not self-contained.

Emerging: It is supposed to be the second generation internet and is a rapidly evolving platform.

Network: There is no one-man-show here. This is built on a global network. This is not limited to any particular device also.

Creation & Users: Web 2.0 corrodes all borders and has a high gravity. Any user can involve in the creation process. Rather than mere participation, it's the creation aspect that makes Web 2.0 distinct.

Get-together: It enables users and communities to get together in the creation process like never before.

Now let's take a look at what builds Web 2.0. It is Ajax. If you are a Gmail user you have experienced Ajax. It is a programming language that enables the dynamic and asynchronous behavior on web without having to refresh the browser pages. Thus you can save on bandwidth and make web more efficient.

Ajax is built on JavaScript, XML, HTML and CSS. Sufficient Knowledge of JavaScript helps you to master Ajax since it uses JavaScript as its client side programming language. This is how it's enabled to fetch data from the server. Most of Google's applications, other prominent ones like chats, games, widgets, etc. are Web 2.0 and levered by Ajax. The asynchronous communication of the user with the server enabled by Ajax helps the user to have continuous interaction also undisturbed by page refreshes.

Unluckily, detailed tutorials on learning Ajax are few. Plus, the XMLHttpRequest number of JavaScript used is tough for beginners. Anyhow JavaScript libraries offer many easier ways. JQuery, YUI, Rico, etc. are examples which support Ajax and enable the easy building of web applications. Prototype is another JavaScript library that makes JavaScript fun. Take advantage of such libraries and frameworks and learn Ajax. Or to go on the hard route, you can get the help of the tutorials and master it.

With Ajax, you can maximize the quality to great extends. Ajax has to stay. It is not a new language but it reconstructs and redesigns the existing ones. With Ajax, you can create faster, better, smaller and worthier Web 2.0 applications. It is all about the betterment of web applications.

Web 2.0 and Ajax never stop to amaze us. Web 2.0 lets us gather information from any corner in the world and still enables its personalization to meet a single user's needs. Let information flow freely.