As I sift through the readings about Web 2.0 and 3.0, I come to the realisation that I have reread these at least three times, and still don’t really know much. It seems to be one of those concepts that my un-technological brain just can’t get a grip of! I do think I am inching forward with this battle (slowly) but I have not yet won.
I am comforted by the fact that O’Reilly himself, who coined Web 2.0, finds the concept difficult to define. Equally, I am angered by this as how the hell am I meant to understand it when it seems even he had some difficulty.
I am a person who likes boundaries, definitions, a clear understanding! The vagueness and crossovers between Web 1.0 and 2.0 and 3.0 have no definitive divide and will there be a 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0?
And what do these advancements in technology and software mean for business? This is how I see the developments so far:
- Web 1.0 was like a TV ad. It distributed content online for people to view and users were mere consumers.
- Web 2.0 is where the collaborative element came into effect. This enabled users to have a say and provided feedback channels, benefitting users as well as businesses. Social media fits under this umbrella and has had a huge impact on the way businesses operate and use the Web.
- Web 3.0 and the semantic web appear to go hand in hand. The formatting of documents into a ‘web of data’ allows files to be shared and reused across a range of fields. It anticipates that the evolution of technology will become so advanced, that much of the technologies will become automated.
That’s my understanding of it so far anyway. It’ll be interesting to see how the Web evolves and what effects it has on future business practices.
What do you anticipate to be the next big Web venture?
mohtsuka 