The signpost over the future of Web Designing says “Web 3.0” in bold. So what is Web 3.0? To fully understand this term we must venture through versions 1.0 and 2.0. The age of wikis, blogs and social networking sites that generated a collaborative effort and allowed users to define what they wanted was Web 2.0. Looking back to the infancy of the Internet, to dial up modems and text based web pages we can define the term – Web 1.0

The World Wide Web, like all computer technologies, is ever increasing in scale and scope. So radical and unorthodox, it has changed the way people communicate, do business and live their lives. Web 3.0 is a look into the future of not just the Internet but humanity. Technologists, journalists and industry leaders use the term to hypothesize the future of the Web.

The Application Programming Interface, API services form the basis of Web 3.0. These services are currently Web 2.0 technologies like RSS feeds, Google search engine along with AdWords and many others. The API layer can be considered a commodity layer.

Aggregation services are part of the second, middle layer. These intermediaries bundle raw API services together in practical ways. RSS aggregators are a popular example from Web 2.0. This layer has commercial scope for a few businesses, but less potential than the last layer.

The top layer, the Application services will be an innovative set of composite applications that integrate functionality of multiple services. These services will provide users with applications of superior flexibility and intuition. This layer makes existing evolve by adding new aspects to them, with respect to social networking etc.

The Semantic Web is another representation of future changes to the World Wide Web. It is an effort to extend human interaction further and incorporate human-machine interaction based on web content. According to Tim Berners-Lee “… the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy, and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines, leaving humans to provide the inspiration and intuition”.

While designing for tomorrow’s Internet landscape, it is essential to see a larger picture, that is, to look beyond the Web. Protocols, standards, languages and certifications will change in this rapidly developing world, but underpinning themes that define Web 3.0 and the Semantic Web are applicable in today’s world.

The future of the Web will not be determined by those who produce the content, but rather, those who demand it.

Also see

Interchanges.com’s Insocial Media

Shawn Welk’s Blog – Interchanges.com’s New Media Marketing

Interchanges.com Weblog

Interchanges.com Blog

Interchanges.com iContact Community

Interchanges.com Email Marketing