The web is changing. It was once primarily a tool to information dissemination - "The Information Super Highway". But as the community of web users grew, people wanted more then just to publish. They wanted to participate, share and interact with one another. They started to reach out. People were ready but web software was crude and offered little in the way of community interaction. So innovative companies started creating new software systems - "Platforms for participation". The software was free and never need to be installed or updated. It was a new software business model. These products evolved over next few years and now dominate the web.