The phrase “web app” is second in my vocabulary now only to to the word “cool” or “like”. I’m a little obcessed, but for me, having the web full of “web applications” is a culmination of why I became a web designer and developer.

And because I’m “in the web space”, I hear the phrase “web app” a lot, too.

But then a friend asked me, “Is a web app like a web site?”. And after a few minutes of trying to explain, I retired to my secret lair to spend a little time writing about how I see the difference.

To most people, a “web site” is an umbrella term that encompasses just about anything you see in a browser. Most people are familiar with it like that. But I think of it now as a site that’s static, informative without being interactive. If yre a nerd, you’ll say “Web 1.0″. Information like product information, resort brochures, a musician’s landing page. To think of it in terms of marketing, a web site like this is all about the site owner. Here’s my web site telling you about me.

A “web app” on the other hand, is all you, about the user (sorry, I know we’re not supposed to use that word anymore) and interaction. It doesn’t have to be social interaction, just the user interacting with the web app. It helps you accomplish a task, which could be managing my finances, interacting with friends or as simple as finding information.

I would consider most web sites that have more than a basic search to be web apps.

What do you think? How would you differentiate the two?