Web 2.0 vs. Web 3.0
There has been much debate over the development of the World Wide Web and even more effort put into accurately naming its various developmental stages. As the debate rages on, it leaves many to wonder, what do the terms Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 mean? Which one are we in right now?
Following that first use, Web 2.0 came to be further loosely defined as the second generation of services based solely on the Internet, including social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, communication tools like AIM and Skype, and other tools, services and sites that place great importance on online collaboration and the sharing of information amongst their users.
According to these terms, one might say that we are currently experiencing the crescendo of Web 2.0. Social networking capabilities, forums, sites and services have revolutionized both business and collaboration on the internet. Web 2.0 is all about information sharing, voyeurism and user generated content. But, by the very existence of a numerical classification like Web 2.0, a progression toward Web 3.0 is inevitable. Indeed, as early as 2006, experts were already prophesying the demise of Web 2.0 in the face of Web 3.0.
Web 3.0, a phrase that John Markoff from the New York Times coined back in 2006, refers to what will eventually be known as the third generation of services based solely on the Internet, including advanced formats, search natural language and algorithms, even more subtle and effortless strategies for data-mining, machine that are able to learn and adapt, and other tools and services that emphasize an automatic and machine-controlled understanding of information that will be able to provide intuitive experiences that are found to be even more productive for the user.
In the light of these two subjective definitions, it is undeniable that there are distinct differences between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0; both in goal and execution of their defining attributes. As bloggers have been noting for years, Web 3.0 is most definitely different from Web 2.0, although those differences might be too subtle for the rest of us to notice for quite some time.
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About the AuthorJason Oh has an interest in computers and technology. His blog Refurbished Computer Explained provides detailed information on refurbished desktop computers. The website also offers useful tips of what to look for before purchasing refurbished desktop computers.