What can we expect from the web in the (near) future? Is Web 2.0 really the answer that everyone is looking for?
Phil Wainewright at zdnet.com says, “Web 2.0 has to be remade before it can deliver on its promises. Perhaps that’s at the root of the distaste for talking about Web 3.0. There’s a growing realization that Web 2.0 is flawed. Web 3.0 — or whatever we end up calling it — will rise out of the ruins of Web 2.0.”
It is growing more apparent by the day that Web 2.0 is not the ‘end all’ it is cracked up to be. Do I think it’s a bubble… probably not. It is more like an child in infancy, or a brand new concept that needs to take shape before any real value can be produced.
I believe that there are lessons to be learned from 2.0. The Web is a big place, and its growing faster than anyone could have imagined. As previously mentioned though, the model is flawed in a business sense. Users will continue to contribute and bloggers will continue to write. In terms of actual website valuation though, what can we expect? More YouTube stories with a $1.65 billion dollar ending?
Some key points to consider when looking at where the Internet is heading:
- Content and the various filtering algorithms will be altered.
- Websites will produce real value as in new products, ideas, concepts, etc.
- Web 2.0 will become more refined and seek to add value, not just promote friendships.
- Advertising will change yet again, moving to contextually embedding services themselves rather than text links.
For more on the zdnet.com article that the quote as from, click here.
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Good points JD!
Its amazing to me how the term “Web 2.0″ can mean so many different things to different people.
With those different opinions on the definition, come different outlooks on its future. I too think it is still in its early stages, but to me it represents innovation of existing products and services, or taking it to the next stage.
By that definition, websites like YouTube, Del.icio.us, Technorati, Flickr, and even Digg all changed the way we look and more importantly use the Internet. To me, Web 3.0 is the definition we will use for the next stage of the Internet’s evolution.
Products like the one Firefox’s co-founder is working on take what we know today and change how we interact with the Internet tomorrow.
The most interesting thing to me is to examine how advertising will be affected by all of these changes to the web. Advertising went through a lot of changes as its moved to the Internet, and as the Internet changes, so will advertising.
Absolutely! I can’t wait to see how the maturing of these services will play into the internet in the future. Honestly, so many of these ‘social networking’ sites are nothing more than one feature that differentiates them from their competitors. Often times, they are first to the market, or have a unique interface.
I am excited to see how everything will mold together in the long run. Ultimately, advertising will change as well. It will be interesting to see how it all works out!