Cobweb

The Web is a new item introduced in Beta 1.5. It was previously found in the Terrain.png file, but had no block ID assigned to it. It is not generated or crafted in any way, although it is speculated that it will be properly added in Beta 1.6. Current thoughts are that spiders will nest in it, shoot the web at you to slow you down, or drop it as loot.

Moving into a web limits your movement abilities. When you are "inside" the web, you will move at a speed equal to about 15% of the normal walking speed. Additionally, jumping will vibrate the player, akin to jumping in a 2 block high space. Unlike water, however, falling into a web will not prevent fall damage, although it will be delayed until you make contact with the ground.

It currently has no use, placing it in a crafting table has no effect, nor is it craftable from String.

History
Notch originally planned that spiders will produce webs And the block ID in 1.5 and 1.5_01 is 30.

Trivia

 * When in water you can go inside a web for air, as with Sugar Cane.
 * You can put webs on webs in-game.
 * Items thrown on the web are also slowed and will fall down after about 20 seconds.
 * A block of Sand or Gravel which falls or is shot into a web, will slow down, then be destroyed and become a resource after about 4 seconds. Primed TNT seems to be not affected by this phenomenon, as it doesn't disappear and will eventually explode destroying the web.
 * Animals that walk into the web will slow down, even spiders.
 * Minecarts treat it as a solid block, like glass or dirt.
 * You are unaffected by webs when in a minecart, except when they are in the way of the cart. This means you can effectively make a mob-slowing tunnel that you can ride through with ease, making safe rooms even safer.
 * Signs and paintings can be placed on webs.
 * When a player is in or behind a web, a Ghast will not see him/her.
 * Webs do not stop chests from being opened.
 * Jumping from as little as one block above a web, onto it, will induce half of a heart in fall damage.
 * Arrows shot do not go through webs or slow down.
 * Any kind of mechanism (excluding Dispensers and Note Blocks) can not be placed on top of webs.
 * When a player flies over a web and drops into the web, it will allow them to hold the spacebar to fly straight up. This is possibly a bug, or to simulate bouncing on a web.
 * You are unable to jump while in a web.
 * Webs can be placed on Sugar Cane and in Water
 * When falling into a web, if you get into a minecart or boat before hitting the ground, you will not take the fall damage until you exit the cart/boat.
 * Webs have proven to be useful particularly in water-filled moats 3 blocks in depth. Adding a layer of web to the bottom of the moat will render any mob (or players) stuck. It is possible to get out (granted you will lose health from a near drowning experience) but most mob will drown. This is a particularly efficient method of repelling creepers from hiding around the corner of your house entrance.
 * Webs seem to not be a able to make the terrain biome recoginizable, confirmed on SMP, while riding a minecart failling into a web with water below. The biome was a forest, which was supposed to make it rain, instead there was snow.