Understanding Web 3.0

Last semester, I saw a course advertisement at a prestigious university (it shall remain nameless) for Web 3.0 and its implications on online businesses. In my mind, I had known that there will come a time when we will be discussing about a Web 3.0 but I never thought that it would be this soon. To better understand and grasp the concept of Web 3.0. I am looking at a few explanations/definitions and examples that may further clarify the concepts of Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 (for myself). I will continue to further research on these concepts as I try to understand the present and future implications of Web 3.0 in education. Below are my simple (unscientific) understanding of the concepts.

Web 1.0 - consists of simple webpage designs with static pages and no interactivity or user input.

Example of Web 1.0

Shopping cart applications, which most ecommerce website owners employ in some shape or form, are considered to be a category of Web 1.0. The overall goal is to present products to potential customers, much as a catalog or a brochure does - only, with a website, you can also provide a method for anyone in the world to purchase products.

Web 2.0 - It is a combination of static and multimedia webpages that may contain one or several user interfaces,  allows users the possibility to add or generate multimedia content and has some degree of user interactivity with content.

Examples of Web 2.0

Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn...etc., are all staggering number of examples of Web 2.0 applications. For example, the perception exists that just because a website is built using a certain technology or because it employs Ajax in its interface, it is a Web 2.0 application. By definition Web 2.0 definition simply requires that users be able to interact with one another or contribute content.  Recently, I have heard rumblings and mumbling regarding Web 3.0. What is Web 3.0?

In Web 3.0, the IT experts are discussing about combining semantic markup and web services. Web 3.0 promises the potential for applications that can speak to each other directly, and for broader searches for information through simpler interfaces. According to Srmana Mitra, Web 3.0 = (Content, Community, Commerce, Context + Personalization + Vertical Search). See at http://www.sramanamitra.com/2007/02/14/web-30-4c-p-vs/ More to come as I explore Web 3.0 and its possible implication on education.