The Implicit Web
I’ve recently come to the conclusion that Web 2.0 no longer has any unique
meaning. It now means “any
Internet-based company that has launched after 2004”. It is as useless a descriptor as “dot com”
was.
Jason Calacanis today posted his attempt to define Web
3.0. Like Fred, I sure hope we can
find a better name for it than 3.0. I
also think that Jason’s proposed definition is incomplete. I believe that a big part of “what comes
next” will center around the Implicit Web. Since the Wikipedia entry on Implicit Web is
pretty obtuse/complex, here’s what I mean by implicit web:
As people spend more time online and perform more of
their activities online, they create a lot of data about themselves
online. Netflix knows what movies I
watch and like. Apple knows what music I
purchase and listen to. Amazon knows
what books I purchase and like. Evite
knows what events/parties I’m going to. Tivo knows what TV shows I like. Opentable knows where I like to eat. Fandango knows what movies I go to. Ticketmaster knows what shows I’ve seen.
However, until now that data has existed in
silos. There has been no easy way for me
(as a user) to access and benefit from that data. I think the Implicit Web will give users the ability to control
the data in these silos and decide who and how it gets shared with.
Let’s take a simple example. If a user joins Facebook today and wants to
complete their personal profile, they get presented with several blank boxes
(see right) to fill out. However, via
the Implicit Web, as user should be able to tell Facebook to:
- check Apple (or Rhapsody or iLike) for their Favorite Music
- check Tivo
(or Comcast) for their favorite TV shows
- check
Netflix (or Flixster) for their favorite Movies, and to
- check Half.com
(or Amazon) for their favorite Books.
Why should users be forced to re-create data that already
exists? Talk about a waste of time.
First Round Capital is actively looking to invest in companies that help make the Implicit Web a reality – either by breaking down the silos or by taking advantage of the data in a new way.
And they found that the person who spent five minutes collecting implicit data got a far better (and more accurate) picture of their date then the person who spent two hours collecting explicit data by conversing.
I wonder if the same results will hold online…
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