Web 3.0 - The Intersection of Quality and Quantity
May 28th, 2008 | Categories: content, markets, networks, off topic, social media, trends, web issuesThe next generation of web services and applications will marry two seemingly separate entities - quality and quantity. Historically, knowledge and information have either come in trickles of quality or a barrage of nonsense. Attaining the synergistic point where quality and quantity can both be united is the ultimate ambition.
In my eyes, the Web (up until now) can be summarized as follows:
- Web 1.0 -> Quality
- Web 2.0 -> Quantity
- Web 3.0 -> The intersection of quantity and quality
Obviously, this is a blatant exaggeration and a leap-of-faith is needed to postulate such a notion. Having said that, there is truth and merit to this hypothesis.
Web 1.0 was the era of the big publishers. Portals, media, and e-commerce players dominated the landscape. Everything was being pushed down to the consumer/user. Quality was present, but the environment lacked breadth and scope, as well as a communication ecosystem. Web 2.0 brought about a new sense of hope. Empowered with new tools and communication channels, small companies and individuals were given a voice. However, this new freedom of expression and articulation lacked control. Too many messages resulted in a loss of focus.
The new-web will unite quality and quantity. Such a feat may be accomplished via a complicated algorithm or set of systems, or via human-editing. Perhaps, even a combination of both may be the supreme sweet spot.
A Web that encompasses the scale and scope of web 2.0, while providing the quality of web 1.0, will prove to be the conclusive communication medium. Thus far, one side of the equation has always been missing. Finding that equilibrium will likely bring about some rewarding business opportunities.
Tags: algorithms, communication, content, control, human-edited, information, knowledge, media, messages, publishers, quality, quantity, web 1.0, web 2.0, web 3.0
May 29th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I don’t really understand what you mean about quality and quantity intersecting. What will that look like? And is it possible? Even with yet-uninvented technology, I don’t think the entire Internet can be edited. No matter the quality of some sites, the Internet will always be a cacophony of individual expression.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Is Web 2.0 so boring that we have to already start talking about Web 3.0?
Jk, I certainly hope you are right, but I can’t say I’m an optimist on this point.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I agree, there is such a thing called a network effect where quality=quantity, and with a little reshaping the same kind of concept may be in store for the semantic web. It’s all about filtering, and you do that by forming relationships, which is what it’s all about in the semantic web right? (or at least according to my vision haha).
The network effect works where relationships are naturally established already… say with a telephone network. The relationships we have with people, companies, communities, etc are what make a telephone network easier to use as more people sign up.
With web 2.0… a lot of us don’t know exactly what we want let alone have the right relationships lined up to get us there. But I think we’re over the hump and its already starting to get easier to get swim through the net.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I agree with the Web 3.0 concept outlined here - the Web 2.0 concept grew out of need to build a more expandable and scalable / interactive model - but the focus on quality was lost - but not on all sites. I think we need a Web 2.1 which is an addendum to the original thinking, with a paragraph and clause stating web design and web development must include quality content and of course everything a user could ever want!
October 24th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Hi,
I’m building a diagram predicting the survival concepts for enterprise web 2.0 (or web 3.0).
diagram article:
http://textonly.me/?p=71
It is another point of view since it is a tecnological approach.