Web 3.0

Definition

Using the same pattern as the above Wikipedia definition, Web 3.0 could be defined as: “Web 3.0, a phrase coined by John Markoff of the New York Times in 2006, refers to a supposed third generation of Internet-based services that collectively comprise what might be called ‘the intelligent Web’ — such as those using semantic web, microformats, natural language search, data-mining, machine learning, recommendation agents, and artificial intelligence technologies — which emphasize machine-facilitated understanding of information in order to provide a more productive and intuitive user experience.”

"People keep asking what Web 3.0 is. I think maybe when you've got an overlay of scalable vector graphics – everything rippling and folding and looking misty – on Web 2.0 and access to a semantic Web integrated across a huge space of data, you'll have access to an unbelievable data resource ..." —Tim Berners-Lee, 2006

Concerns and Issues

The generation of Web 2.0 may be reluctant to accept the Semantic Web, but as the changes will be most probably gradual, people will soon find themselves trapped in the middle of a web revolution. Still, people tend to be reluctant to use certain technologies, for various reasons:

• They are concerned with security problems,
• They do not like changes,
• They are not innovative,
• They do not need the technology,
• They cannot afford the devices,
• They are not familiar with the technology,
• They do not like the idea of virtual assistants because they are afraid of being intoxicated with irrelevant information,
• They do not feel at home in virtual reality,
• They feel they cannot have any control over the process,
• They do not trust the information provided,
• They prefer to interact with people, not virtual agents,
• They prefer to make their own decisions etc.

Tomorrow's Web – Tomorrow's Web of Threats

The threat environment that continues to defy effective response — much less containment — promises to continue its defiance on the Web ahead, in some particularly innovative and nasty ways:

Privacy violations on an extremely personal scale: In order for effective Web 3.0 marketing to work, more personal (which is not the same as private) information is going to be available on the Web. And the hackers will make the most of it, leading to...

Hyper-targeted spam: As above, the more the badware (i.e. spyware, malware, {{#NewWindowLink: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adware | adware }} ) crews know about you, the likelier they can come straight at you and your business in ways that will be increasingly difficult to differentiate from legitimate communications, as well as...

Semantic Attacks 3.0: Nothing new about semantic attacks – any attempt to present false information as real info is a semantic attack, whether it's phishing mail or snail mail. But as the next Web grows more personal content-rich, the phishers (or whatever the next neologism is) will have more material to mine from and "market" to.

The Positives of Web 3.0

So let's look, close-up, at some tools and initiatives that can help your business thrive on this Web, that Web, and whatever Webs come our way:

• Think small: Those mobile devices – phones, BlackBerrys, etc. – mentioned in passing early in the piece are likely to be the devices for tomorrow's Web. Take a hard look at your core marketing and communications materials and if they aren't optimized for mobile delivery to mobile screens, start doing so now. Those gorgeous pages optimized for desktop flatscreens don't play well in the palm of a customer's hand.
• Know your vendors – and know what they know (or don't) about Web 3.0: Your Web and IT teams, or third-party Web service vendors, had better be on their game as tomorrow's Web takes shape. Its arrival will be anything but a seamless transition à la a new operating system (and we all know how seamless those are.) Rather, the new Web will emerge piecemeal, with tools deployed, techniques tried, approaches embraced and abandoned. Better make sure your people are up to date with the future.
• Be prepared to move beyond text – and pay for it: Like it or not, the next generation of the Web – and more specifically its users – may be far more video than text oriented. That means increased costs for you, but it could pay off in increased business.
• Customize your content: The more carefully you've mounted your current Web content with an eye to individualizing to your own business as well as the business requirements of the various search engines, the better off you'll be as new approaches to the Web emerge. Optimize your content for your business's identity as well as for successful searches. Maybe it's time for a new position in the hierarchy: Chief Content Officer, anyone?