B-Thing #3: Learn about Web 3.0 and/or "The Semantic Web"

Description:

Web 3.0 is a term that has sparked a collective groan on the Internet (and will perhaps cause the same thing from many of you). However, this term does suggest what might be happening to technology in the future.

In a nutshell, you could think of Web 2.0 as a fragmentation of the web, and Web 3.0 as a re-consolidation of the web. Other popular terms in this vein include: "mashup," "'god' Databases" and "the semantic web." An example of Web 3.0 might be Freebase, which is still in its infancy, or "Flock" a socially oriented Web Browser based on Firefox. Facebook's addition of applications like Scrabulous and others could be consider Web 3.0 as well.

Hints:

• This is all heady stuff that hasn't really been engineered well-enough to be considered user friendly to your average non-techy. The geeks are having a hard time getting their heads around this. Don't sweat it -- just know that it exists and keep an eye out for what might be happening in the future.
• I did the Facebook application thing and turned off most of them because I felt that they got too invasive. Tread the water softly here -- like I said, this is experimental territory still.