Internet
Fact-checked

At EasyTechJunkie, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

What is a Web 2.0 Generator?

Rhonda Rivera
Rhonda Rivera

With the widespread popularity of Web 2.0 websites that feature distinct designs or allow users to interact with one another, Web 2.0 generators were created to more easily customize websites or make fun of the trend. For example, a Web 2.0 logo generator might create a logo with a reflection in the user’s font and color of choice. A Web 2.0 domain name generator might attempt to seriously generate a catchy domain name, or deliberately generate a satirical name. There are also Web 2.0 generators focused on website design, favorites icon design, or user avatar design.

A popular Web 2.0 generator allows the user to customize a logo for his or her website. These programs typically allow the user to give the logo text a reflection or shadow, which was quite popular at the height of the Web 2.0 trend. In addition, the user can usually customize the font, size, and color of the logo before downloading the image to upload to his or her website.

Woman doing a handstand with a computer
Woman doing a handstand with a computer

Web 2.0 domain names are frequently short, easy to pronounce, and either two words combined or a completely made up word. A generator that tries to create a unique domain name might ask the user to input key words, or it will randomly generate words without help. While there are Web 2.0 domain name generators designed to honestly help people come up with domain name ideas, many are simply making fun of the Web 2.0 trend.

Design is a large part of Web 2.0, with web designers often opting for striped backgrounds, plain foregrounds, and rounded corners. An especially popular Web 2.0 generator is one that generates a website template. There are numerous generators meant for this purpose, most of which allow the user to customize the color theme of the template.

A Web 2.0 generator might also be designed to solely generate favicons, also known as a favorites icon. When clicked, these icons bookmark or favorite the website on the user’s browser. A favicon generator allows the user to create a customized button for a website visitor to click.

Another type of Web 2.0 generator focuses on user avatar design. Avatars are used to represent a user on a forum, chat, or comment section. With an avatar generator, visitors of a website can customize avatars to their liking before posting. Custom avatars can help distinguish regular visitors from new visitors with default avatars.

Discussion Comments

Logicfest
@Melonlity -- Fast loading pages are not just convenient, they are essential. One of the things the Internet has done is we have become somewhat impatient when looking for information. If a page takes too long to move, a lot of people will just head somewhere else to get the information they want.

We still want sites to look great and there is still a place for good design, but a lot of the bells and whistles that were popular during the Web 2.0 craze have been tossed out because they loaded quite slowly. Hey, give me fast and appealing over glitzy any day of the week.

Melonlity

@Soulfox -- Some of the design elements may be on the way out the door, but the interactivity that was in vogue when the whole Web 2.0 thing was identified are still well in place. If anything, Internet sites are becoming more interactive as we go and that is a good thing.

I can't say I'm sad to see some of the design cues being tossed out the window, though. Those three-dimensional tag clouds that featured spinning text that featured a lot of the keywords used in a site were useless at best and resource intensive at worst.

What does seem to be changing is that design elements that are the most popular these days are one that make loading sites faster. That means a lot of logos and graphics are simpler because they don't take as much time to load. That is a very good thing.

Soulfox

A lot of those designs are on their way out. For example, drop shadows and the like are being replaced by simpler, "flat" text and objects like crazy. I'm not sure why that is, exactly, but designers appear to be opting for simpler, more utilitarian designs that might now be as flashy but do make it easier to find your way around a site.

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Woman doing a handstand with a computer
      Woman doing a handstand with a computer