Web 3.0 and its frills

The wave of Web 2.0 is slowly shrinking. Web 2.0 is the internet revolution that lets users publish and share content. Social networking, bookmarks, blogs, and wikis – every person and corporate is raving about its importance and impact on our lives. While most people are still coming to terms with Web 2.0, the talk of Web 3.0 has exploded over the web.

Corporates are still stuck with Intranet 2.0. I recently interviewed with a company that was reinventing its corporate intranet strategy to integrate social media to allow employees to create and share content. “But the world has jumped ahead,” I tried to explain to the interviewer. (Needless to say, he seemed annoyed with my suggestion.)We have come to the point where we tag and push content to appropriate users, create roll-based virtual collaboration, and promote the Web 3.0 culture and excitement. It’s about blending personalization, social networking, social media, and that ‘wow’ factor.

Web 3.0 is about rich and relevant user experiences on the web (think unique internet identities, customized web services, and everything at your finger tips). Information will be pushed to you instead of you having to search (pull) it.

Imagine the possibilities when Web 3.0 combines with mobile internet devices such as the iPhone, Google Phone and BlackBerry. Google’s ‘My Location’ lets users locate friends using its mobile mapping service. In time, your phone will locate your friends, suggest a convenient place to hang out based on your friend’s location, give you driving directions to get there, and order your favorite food and drink! Now that’s a smart phone for you! 

The concepts of targeted advertising, loyalty programs, and need-based selling have already taken off – combine that with Web 3.0, PDAs and RFIDs – the shopping experience as we know it will cease to exist. Personal shopping assistants will comb the web and make price comparisons and order you the best deal. You won’t need to get involved except for setting the boundaries and telling the phone what you need. 

I could go on about the possibilities of Web 3.0… but I don’t want to seem overly enthusiastic about something that could compromise our identity and privacy. Ultimately, we need to use Web 3.0 cautiously and remind ourselves that information on the web is for everyone to see.