Versions don't matter today, as soon as you launch a version, you become outdated.
Web 2.0 is now a cliché, web 3.0? - that happened the day after O'Reilly's Web 2.0 conference,
which really was the driver of "Web 2.0's" widespread popularity. Some cite the original source
as an article by Darci diNucci, called "Fragmented Future" from 1999. Nevertheless, the pervasive
use of Web 2.0 has jumped the shark. For example, I had a broker tell me the other day that
an unnamed web provider said their technology was "web 4.0 - and thus better than 2.0" - LOL,
oh man - I am still laughing. Web 2.0 has also managed to break into almost every person's
job description, website application and even became the 1 millionth word in the English dictionary.
In my travels I have noticed that the web 2.0 phrase has done most damage to the average web
user. They think that web 2.0 represents new technologies that that they now need to learn
before they can use them. To those people out there - the web is the web, period. Yes,
admittedly there was a shift, a moment that social media and web technology changed the way
we used the web. I do not disagree that there was a pivotal moment where it was important to
take note of the change. However, these were fluid transitions; they were growing trends that
accelerated very rapidly because of the economy and the exponential increase in web
efficiencies for carrying data, video and live interaction.
We also need to rethink giving ourselves titles that have "2.0" in it as well. It may seem trendy,
but so did parachute pants. If you consider yourself a 2.0 expert, than you are really a Web
Marketing Expert, or Social Media Expert, perhaps some new title - Online Media Pro. However
naming yourself a 2.0 agent or expert is limiting and not recommended.
One of my biggest fears is the concept that a new "2.0" website will last you more than 6
months. Today, innovation comes weekly and you should be prepared to look at your website,
if it is a serious part of your business, as a dynamic marketing tool that should have seamless
and expected improvements. The days of getting a site and sitting on it for 3 years are gone.
If we must use a version, we should use Web X.0 and for that matter Real Estate neXt - because
the medium is now constantly shifting. To put a "version" on the web, or your business, is like
trying to pour the ocean into an 8oz glass - you can't dilute it to the limiting space of a version.
What is your take on this? Is there value in 2.0? What if someone comes out with 3.0?
Heck I am Web infinity squared to the nth degree - beat that.
Best,
Pierre
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