Many months ago, I linked to a video that tried to answer the question, “What is Web 2.0?” Recently, someone asked Google’s CEO “What is Web 3.0?” Here is a 2-minute video of his response.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/w/?v=T0QJmmdw3b0]
Key points from his definition:
- Applications that are pieced together
- The data is in the cloud
- Can run on any device
- Very fast, very customizable
- Distributed virally
His response is very focused on the idea of the Web as a software platform. And it’s no coincidence that these are the types of things that Google is developing. Many other descriptions of Web 3.0 focus on the Semantic Web aspect. No one really knows exactly how the Web will evolve, but I think it’s a given that more and more software will live online.
Whatever the next evolution of the Web looks like, libraries need to figure out how it fits into the services they provide. Much of the information that libraries provide is already available online. There are some questions, however, that libraries need to think about. Can library data be mixed up and used in custom applications? How can libraries integrate data from “the cloud?” Can these services be easily accessed on mobile devices?
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Availability of data is not the answer, always; when authenticity is asked for.