A Basic History of the Web: From Web 0.0 through Web 3.0

Do you find yourself confused with all the talk about Web 2.0? Do you ask yourself, “What is Web 2.0? I didn’t know there was a Web 1.0 until I heard they were changing it! I’ve heard about this Web 2.0, but I can’t really explain what it is.” Well, never fear, because below is a brief history about the web and where the experts feel the web may be headed.

It wasn’t so long ago. The first email was sent in 1972 from BBN Technologies (Bolt, Beranek and Newman), a group from MIT and defense contractors for the U.S. government. This was still two years before anyone would even name what is known as the “Internet”. What we know as the World Wide Web wouldn’t come around until 1992. By this time, however, local network systems and bulletin boards were around and people were creating very simple web sites. There was no standardized code for web sites, but it was the time of what we now call…

Web 0.0
What is Web 0.0? This is the original web that first appeared in the 1980’s. It had little resemblance of what we see today when it comes to the internet. For those of you who may remember, Web 0.0 (or just the internet) linked different computers together. It was all about networks and programs to distribute information. This was the internet of the computer geek cloistered in his parent’s basement or the techno-mancer creating lists of information for others to view. This was the age when it would take 20 minutes to load up the text-based role-playing game that was no more than a glorified “complete this adventure” module. Each major town had its’ own bulletin board run by a local college student or techno-geek who manually kept the servers running so others could participate in the glory of chat and email.

Web 1.0
In the latter part of the 80’s, we soon moved onto Web 1.0 and stayed there for more than a decade. Some of us still haven’t let go of the apron string. This was the dawning of the age of eCommerce and catalog-web sites that ushered in eBay, Amazon, and others during the dot-com boom. It saw the creation of affiliate marketing and banner ads. Internet service providers emerged, such as AOL, Prodigy, and CompuServe. The internet moved from the basements to the living room as more and more families started to see the web as a learning and leisure tool. In 2001, when the dot-com era ended, this became a turning point for the internet. People demanded more and this brought us into…

Web 2.0
Today, we hear this term all of the time, but it actually emerged in 2001 (and some say earlier, though Tim O’ Reilly hadn’t coined the term until that year). Where Web 1.0 was about a dialogue between business and customer, Web 2.0 is all about collaboration. It is about being able to use a program that doesn’t care if you are a Mac or a PC. It cares that you want to communicate and it wants to respond. Web 2.0 is the millions of blogs that people are talking about. It is the wikis that allow you to work with others and link information together. Web 2.0 is social networking, video and music sharing, search engine optimization, and collaborative tagging (also known as, folksonomy). Web 2.0 is when you decide the way your search engine or personal web site will look like (see iGoogle and Yahoo! 360). Web 2.0 puts you in the driver’s seat and gives you control.

Still not understanding Web 2.0? The best way to understand Web 1.0 versus Web 2.0 is to look at it from these standpoints:

Web 1.0 was about reading the information “they” wanted you to see.
Web 2.0 is all about writing and creating communities and sharing information.

Web 1.0 had advertisers telling you what to buy.
Web 2.0 uses other people explaining why they buy.

Web 1.0 was buying a program to work on your specific computer.
Web 2.0 is about applying a web application and web service.

Now that you have some understanding of Web 2.0, welcome to…

Web 3.0
I know what you are saying, “Waitaminute! I haven’t grasped 2.0 yet, how can Web 3.0 be here?” Well, technically, it is almost here! This comes from the imagination of Tim Berners-Lee, who is often credited with the creation of the whole web. What Web 3.0 will offer is ease-of-use. Currently, finding something online depends on what words are tagged or the keywords and phrases that are used. Web 3.0 will look at what you are searching and find it for you. The web will become your personal assistant. It will know what you want to do. The computer will understand your habits and will address them. This is referred to as semantic web browsing, and is only one aspect of the new Web 3.0. Some people describe Web 3.0 as the emergence of artificial intelligence; a time period when the computer will “think” about what you need and want. Maybe, Web 3.0 will introduce three-dimensional technology? No one knows for sure what the outcome will entail, because Web 3.0 has not had the time focus on the boundaries of its’ definition.

So, there you have it; a simplified history of how the web has progressed and where it may take us in the coming years. There is no need to be confused. It is a time to embrace the internet and participate.