So as a final point what do we expect from this New Generation Web? It won’t surprise me if Web 2.0 just turns out to be a stage making way to a much more mature and durable Web 3.0 is going to deliver a new generation of business applications Web 3.0 era. Over a couple of weeks I have been reading articles and trying to analyze key characteristics of Web 3.0, using a lot of company examples like Google, Amazon and eBay. But I’m not too sure if all these companies will be leading the Web 3.0 era. Some less mentioned companies like WebEx, WebSideStory, NetSuite, Jamcracker, Rearden Commerce and Salesforce.com have also been casting light on how Web 3.0 might take over the World of Web.
I would like to make a point here for people still not very clear about Web 3.0. This new web isn’t just about shopping, entertainment or some kind of search; instead it will bring in a new generation of business applications that will change the definition of all the above mentioned terms.
So will the ‘Web 3.0′ be the Semantic Web? Probably yes. It might just take some time to annotate the world’s information and then to capture personal information in the right way, to enable the kinds of applications that we have discussed. For all my interest in the technologies being used, I see two drawbacks to Web 3.0 or the New Generation Web.
Semantic Web (Web 3.0) is just Personalized Web
The first is that, to me, the semantic web isn’t a web centralized in a specific tool or environment instead web in a whole. If we have a “Facebook and Wikipedia mashup”, it might be successful, and it might be semantic, but it isn’t the web. The whole point of the semantic web technologies is for each of us to interpret our data, wherever we are, regardless of tool, and begin to really drive out the tiny threads of true meaning on a global scale. If we have to leave our places where we’re at and go elsewhere, this seems to create a disconnect, right from the start.
The second issue I saw the marketing hype associated with the tool; the uses of the terms: “Web 3.0″, “semantic graph”, and the “first mainstream Semantic Web application”. I can understand the reasoning behind the marketing. After all, this is the candy that lures in the kiddies, and adds billions of valuation to chaotic applications like Facebook. Lack of effective promotion is what the semantic web supporters have been criticized for in the past.
At the same time, the marketing, location, and early associations also serves to enclose the application within an increasingly limited community. I can’t think of anything more ‘not’ semantic web than to become part of such an narrow community.
Still, these are my perceived drawbacks based on what I read. I won’t know anything ‘real’ until I try the app myself.
There is one feature that everyone wants on their computers: the Do-What-I-Mean button. Imagine that, a computer that understands what you’re trying to do and will just up and do it for you. “Make this report look pretty”, “take the photos from this camera and put a sideshow on a DVD with my favorite music”. Sounds nice ? Unfortunately, something like this is sadly missing from product roadmaps from Apple and Microsoft. The good news is, this is the sort of thing that has been talked about for the World Wide Web for years. And it’s getting closer.
In the beginning, the Web was simple. Text, a few pictures, and links to other sites. This was Web 1.0 and it was cool enough and useful enough to change the way we do business and conduct our social lives. But Web 1.0 pages either just sat there, or blinked and beeped and played tinny music. You could click links to new pages, you could go back, and that was it. If you found a product listing and wanted to sort it by price instead of by name, you had to ask the host server to re-send you the page with the items sorted the way you wanted.
Where we are now
A few years ago the term “Web 2.0″ was coined. A Web 2.0 site uses more interactive elements that the old web simply couldn’t do. Tables of product listings or flight times are now sent to the user and can be manipulated by controls on the page. Photo galleries now just load the next image when the ‘next’ button is clicked. A user can drag an email to a folder instead of having to check a box, select an option on a menu and click a button. This new level functionality is made possible by new techniques and new technologies that turn web browsers from simple tools for displaying static pages to application platforms that can run complex functions with rich interactivity that a few years ago could only be achieved by writing a standalone program and downloading it. An important component is trust (like eBay feedback ratings) and relevance (like Digg.com and other user-recommended directories).
Next Steps
The most obvious shortcoming of both Web 1.0 and 2.0 is that you have to go get your information. Actually, the real biggest problem is that your computer has no idea what an airfare is, doesn’t care about your frequent flier miles, and has absolutely no concept that you’re planning to go scuba diving in an area affected by toxic algae right now. Addressing that lack of understanding is the key to Web 3.0, but for now let’s look at what helpers we have available now.
The two big topics that Web 2.0 opened up are “what new information is available ” and “is this information relevant ?” Right now, you can use an RSS feed to be updated on new articles on a web site, activity on your friends FaceBook pages, or concert ticket availability or any other sort of information a website chooses to publish. This is a good start, and another technology known as RDF (Resource Description Framework) is helping to add the meaning to web pages that is presently lacking. A web publisher can use RDF to describe their data so that other computer programs can know what the data means; otherwise a price is just a bit of text that happens to have a dollar sign on it, a time is just some numbers, and so on.
Who is working on it ?
Everyone. Everyone who doesn’t want to be left behind as Web 3.0 glimmers on the horizon. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the group that formulates standards for the Web, is working on proposals that will move beyond RSS and RDF to truly allow Web 3.0 to be rich in meaning and utility for useful applications we can’t begin to write now. Apple is steadily developing their Dashboard technology which allows anyone to make a widget that pulls data from websites and presents it to the user. Some companies, such as AdaptiveBlue are developing browser plug-ins that look at the content of pages you visit and scan them for meaning. Web 3.0 is still a long way away, but the foundations are being laid now.
What’s ahead for Web 3.0
The big hurdle ahead for Web 3.0 is getting enough websites to agree to common terms and allow for access by the user agents that will do the grunt work of searching for flight times, checking personal schedules, and coordinating everything for you. A few companies, both established in the industry and well-funded startups, will attempt to market their own framework for Web 3.0 applications and attempt to build a web of trust. Others will rely on open standards from the W3C and other bodies. What is sure is that we will soon see another transitional phase on the web as new technologies are introduced and compete for users and publishers. Not all of the definitions are in place, but we can expect another whole new web just over the horizon.
Music truly can make the world go round. Music has the ability to unify people in a single thought, may it be peace, harmony, joy, or a specific cause, and it has changed the word one song at a time. But music used to be limited and under appreciated by many. Not because music then was of poor quality but because it was not as accessible as it is today. We have a freedom today to gain access to all kinds of music through the help of technology therefore awareness and appreciation of the music industry has grown significantly in such a short span of time.
Long before the internet had its glory, music was confined to a smaller audience. Some of the most powerful songs written were sung and played underground in fear of other bigger issues like communism, capitalism and war. With the emergence of ecommerce, the world became a giant playground for music of different ages, stages, and styles. Ecommerce has opened a new way for music to be heard in other places where it can be appreciated to the fullest. Online music purchase has become so easy and fast that it has broken the barriers of not only geography but perhaps culture as well. When music started its way online, there became a new profit making industry.
Little did we know then that the music industry would be as big as it is now? Today, song sales on iTunes, eBay and Amazon total to billions of dollars daily and that is only counting the United States. Through ecommerce, stars have been born like Coldplay and Beyonce. These artists could have been famous only in their countries but the internet has created them into international super stars because ecommerce has enabled their songs to be purchased by anyone all over the world. Even smaller indie artists and underground bands can now showcase their talent online through ecommerce giving each artist a chance to make it big where the music field is a little more leveled.
Buying songs online has also allowed the consumer more liberty to choose what songs they want to spend on. During the older days, songs had to be bought with the whole album but today, you can buy the song as an individual. This has increased sales more than ever. Not only are the songs available but they too are available as soon as the album hits the market. This makes them available online to anyone around the world as soon as the song is out. This feature of ecommerce helps make music more globally competitive and effective. There is no more discrimination as to who and when these song can only be heard.
Some negative effects though have also hurt the music industry. Because the internet is so accessible and easy to use, the exchange of illegal downloads have also flourished. This development slows down the profits of ecommerce because now, the music can be taken for free. Current ways are being tried to control this phenomenon.
