I recently read two articles, "Berners-Lee calls for Web 2.0 calm" and "How Web 3.0 Will Work", and although the definitions for terms like Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 are constantly changing and not set, the idea of coming up with new terms for existing ideas is how language evolves. Other popular terms like Ajax, which in my view is just a newer term for "dynamic front end", have existed for many years and are just new, simplified or popular terms for existing ideas. The fact is that people come up with these new terms and as everyone begins using them, there is a general consensus of what the terms mean. Sometimes they even make it into the dictionary.
I don't think think that Berners-Lee's opinion should count more than everyone else's because he is considered the creator of the Internet. In many cases, when someone creates something and as people adopt it, it generally takes on a life of its own and the creators opinion becomes irrelevant. When Einstein came up with his "Theory of Relativity" and later spent his entire mid and late life trying to come up with a "Theory of Everything", he ignored the changing nature of the universe that he himself proved, ignored the smaller sciences (quantum physics) and became irrelevant. Just because he initiated the Theory of Everything, it fell on others to prove it and his own work in this area was simply wrong.
Tim Berners-Lee's definition is too complicated and out of touch with how people use the terms Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. It looks more like a theory of how search engines could work, but this is not how they work for the most part and has nothing to do with how people think of these web phases. I think the key is to treat each of the 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 definitions as "phases of the Web", based on how people actually use or experience it. It comes down to information flow. Although this is just my opinion, I have tested this definition out (I am all about testing and auditing everything) and this tends to resonate with everyone - it is easily understood and people can relate to it.
- Phase 1, or Web 1.0, is static information or a one-way flow of information between the web user and the website.
- Phase 2, or Web 2.0, represents a two-way flow of information between the web user and the website and was initiated through shared information from social networking and ecommerce applications and has since expanded in scope.
- Phase 3, or Web 3.0, is moving toward a flow of information where web applications share information and also the increased bandwidth available to many people now, which made video on the web a viable and generally expected feature. We are also seeing significant use of Business Intelligence (BI), which makes the user's experience personalized, fluid and efficient. BI also provides application designers endless possibilities.
Another term I found in the late 1990's was "Enterprise" as in building an Enterprise Application. When this term came out, I looked for a definition and couldn't find it, so I had to do the same for this term - I took a general consensus of it's usage and determined that it is generally used to mean large, dependable and extensible. Although I am naturally resistant to change in everything, I have learned to adapt, especially when it comes to language.
As I study the history of languages, I realize more and more that it evolves based on common usage. Specifically, people come up with a word, then everyone uses it, then a general consensus of its meaning comes into effect. If you want a simple example of this, take the word phrase "brain freeze". I remember a few years ago hearing on the radio that the term finally made it into a respected dictionary. The reporter went on to explain how this is a long and arduous process and only a few new words each year make it. I used this term way back when I was a kid after having a slurpee, but even though "slurpee" hasn't made it into the dictionary, "brain freeze" did.
Re-branding words is another way to create new meaning. "eWorkshop" has been used for a long time, but had no real commonly understood definition. We registered several domains associated with this term and redefined it as "a set of best practices in webinar presentations". This is a great way to create a brand and own the associated key phases (MWM).
Refractive thinking is another key phrase that describes an enhanced approach to critical thinking within the educational system. It is a potential solution to the higher educational system's shift from traditional educational provider to educational practitioner facilitator, which is making university-styled education more accessible to the the general public. It is actually more effective in my view than the old-styled lecture-oriented educational method, which is much less engaging and relatively boring. This is a new term for a new idea in education. See The Refractive Thinker.
In conclusion, the slow changing nature of the universe is now reflected by the new fast changing pace of our society and the super-fast changing nature of the Internet. The incredible flow of information available today is changing the nature of the human race and the newer generations are physically different - it has been proven that Millennials (yet another new term for people that have come of age after the year 2000) think with both sides of their brains, can multitask and are motivated differently than the older generations. If this "DNC" (from the new text/chat language meaning "Does not compute"), you will have to read further and position yourself in the flow of information so you can move to the next phase of human existence - shared understanding and motivation.
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