Web 2.0 and now Web 3.0?

We all know Web 2.0 by this point; the idea of users creating and sharing their own content, making the web and the sites they use their own. As a recruiter it is a staple that any good web application developer, whether coming from a Java, PHP, or .Net background, is going to have AJAX and ideally some Jquery skills. In the end that is probably the lasting technical contribution of Web 2.0 - the innovation and evolution of JavaScript and with it the ability for those with a web browser to share various content.

The feature that drove JavaScript's success, however, is the lightness of the code. In the beginning of the era it was largely Flash and Flex that facilitated this model. Then in 2008 and 2009 you started to hear of enterprise level projects replacing Flex with JavaScript components. Likewise you saw Steve Jobs and Apple choose not to embrace Flash. In short, with the limitations of smart phone browsers, and even the latest browsers used on old-fashion PCs, much less today's tablets, we see a desire for lighter and faster loading code. Ajax and the various JavaScript libraries seem to be the winners.

It must be noted here that XML was the other winner here. I remember discussions way back in 2001 and 2002 about the possibilities of XML. Today we use it and embrace those offerings routinely. XML is the X in AJAX. And even here JavaScript offers an alternative to XML in JSON.

So at this point the above is largely history. With Facebook and Linkedin, and all the other social-media sites out there today, we have exhausted the possibilities of Web 2.0. Such sites will not disappear though I am sure that we will see some battles ahead of between entities such as Linkedin, Google+, Facebook and others! We will continue to update out Twitter accounts, and share pictures on Facebook and announce our new position or title on Linkedin. Likewise, the technology will continue to evolve. We have certainly not seen the last version of JavaScript much less HTML.

All that said, what will the web offer us next? What is its next evolution? It seems that the next evolution is the management of data. This is seen in two unique spaces: the cloud and the semantic web. The cloud of course is a hot topic today. For those who have embraced all these various social media websites, which are accessed from one's phone, tablet, home and work PCs, there is a challenge. Where do I store my various pieces of data so that I can access them from any device? Prior to the cloud there was no central storage area for all one's pics, videos, and whatever else.

Granted this is only a small component of the cloud aimed at individual users but it does point to a challenge. If the individual has challenges accessing and managing his or her own data, what do we do with all the data that is being created around us? How do we keep up with the massive onslaught of twitter updates, blog postings, YouTube clips and whatever else is out there?

Stay tuned for the answer to this question, an exploration into the Semantic Web, and what I believe Web 3.0 will entail.