What is Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0?

These refer to the general idea of what the web is, the experience of using the web.

They don't mean any particular programming language or versions, or even what you see on a website or how you might use a website.

Web 1.0

• Retrieve information: Web 1.0 experience is like going to a library.
  In the old days, all we could do on a website was read the pages. Sometimes fill out a form or do a search.
  • "The Static Web"
  • We can: Explore a web site, but can't add anything of our own.
    We can: search the site or the web itself for information, but the smarts for the search have to be on our side; it's not a "smart search" on the side of the search engine.
  • Examples: any basic website.
  • Pros and cons!

Web 2.0

• Participate: Web 2.0 experience is like talking with a group of friends
  These days we can interact with a website, not just read it.
  • "The Social Web", "Interactive Web"
  • We can: Communicate with other users of a website, or even of different websites.
    Interact with the website itself, and even change it.
  • Examples: FaceBook, Wikipedia, news sites where we can leave comments and choose which kinds of news we want to see.
  • Pros and cons!

Web 3.0

• Personalize: Web 3.0 experience is like having a personal web assistant.
  The web gurus say we will be able to see "our own" web; a different person would see a different web.
  • "The Semantic Web" ("web of meaning")
  • We can: Search the web in a more intelligent way -- the browser will retrieve information for us, and even offer suggestions we may not have thought about while searching for information.
  • Websites will appear to us according to how we use the web, what we look at the most. We don't have to set our preferences, the web and our browser will "see" our preferences by what we do.
  • Examples:
    Google and other searches, that give suggestions based on what you type.
    News and information sites, that show articles based on what you have already looked at.
  • Pros and cons!

Where the idea came from

"Web 2.0" was coined by Darcy DiNucci in 1999. The term started being used widely after an O'Reilly web conference. Then looking back, people called the "old web", Web 1.0; and looking forward, they are starting to talk about "Web 3.0."

Know more

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_1.0 – Web 1.0
• http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-10.htm – Is there a Web 1.0?
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0 – Web 2.0
• http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-20.htm – How Web 2.0 Works
• http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-30.htm – How Web 3.0 Will Work

faq-what_is_web_x.0.html
Written 25 September 2009
Revised 25 September 2009

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