The business world has undergone many changes in the past several decades. In the 'good old days' business was conducted in a predominantly male dominated world, with deals conducted face-to-face or over the telephone. The television series Mad Men provides a good look at the advertising agency business in the 1950s in particular, but also the business world in general.

Fast forward to today and you?ll find that business is conducted very differently. The term business 2.0 comes from a magazine by the same name that was established in 1998. The magazine prominently featured businesses and technology that advanced the business world in the new millennium. Some of the businesses that embrace the concepts of business 2.0 have found that using new technology such as the web, e-mail, text messaging, and social media reach and serve customers more efficiently.

One of the key components of business 2.0 is e-commerce. E-commerce is conducting business online by allowing customers the ability to interact with the business through the web. Typically, customers can purchase items online, review product options, conduct transactions, track shipments, and interact with the company. E-commerce allows businesses to serve customers and potential customers with very low overhead costs. Many businesses are able to pass along some of these cost savings to customers who use online resources.

Along with serving customers needs differently, e-businesses also market to customers differently. In the Mad Men age, traditional marketing efforts included newspaper ads, television ads, billboards, and direct mail. With business 2.0, businesses that have embraced the electronic age use other methods including online advertising, e-mail advertising, using web trend usage data to suggest products, and marketing through social media and social networks such as Facebook, My Space, Twitter, You Tube, Flickr, blogs, and more. Businesses have found that utilizing Web 2.0 components are effective ways to reach the modern consumer.

The vast increases in business 2.0 initiatives have been made possible by the improvements in technology. The improvements in cell phones, computers, and other emerging technology has made implementing business 2.0 easier.

The business world has changed dramatically over the past 50 years and imagining what it will be like in the next 50 years