Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 Hike, Hike, Hike!!!

I think that in order to understand what Web 2.0 really represents, it is helpful to know what its predecessor offered and its future will bring. Web 1.0 was called the "read" web. Read in a sense that the majority of the content was only available for the casual user to view. The ability to contribute content to the internet was only available to those with the skills to create webpages and the web space to publish it.

Allowing the average user to contribute their personal or professional experiences or opinions to the web marks the onset of the "read/write" web or Web 2.0. Now through the use of blogs, wikis, interactive multimedia, the average web browser could contribute information to the internet via numerous forms of multimedia. Additionally, the ability to contribute to the world-wide web has spawned an insurgence of social media sites (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) where electronic synchronous or asynchronous communication can occur.

The next step in the evolution of the internet will involve ideas surrounding what will be called Web 3.0. Also known as the "Intelligent" or "Semantic Web", meaning that searching the web becomes more personalized and suitable to your needs. For example, if you wanted to search for a pizzeria within 5 miles of your location using current web technology, you would need to search using the keywords "pizzeria" and your location - Scranton for instance. From here you will more than likely get results that are from well over 100 plus locations. With the semantic web, when you search you would only need to search for the keyword "pizzeria" and you would receive results based upon your previous search history, likes and dislikes, information regarding your favorite foods, personal budget, and even omit locations that won't take your American Express card. Check out this video the get the lighter side of what you could experience in the future...