David Notik

Ok, so i'm fairly tech savvy and have a good understanding of what's going on in the tech world, but can someone maybe shed a little light on this web 3.0 thing? Fact/Fiction? Gimmick? -- Steven

I think it's important not to get carried away by monikers, but terms like Web 2.0/3.0 are important at least for marketing purposes (i.e. your organization or service needs to take advantage of this), in that they relay a significant set of differences between older web services and a newer generation.

Where the retrospective Web 1.0 was about presenting information or offering goods for sale, Web 2.0 (to put it yet another way) is about incorporating sharing and collaboration into richer services that prioritize open standards and interoperability and leverage more powerful web development techniques.

It's impossible to limit to where Web 3.0 ends so I'll just refer broadly to what's next.

1. Structured (semantic) data. This is the most immediate one. The next wave of services will publish and consume structured data and objects, enabling more intelligent responses to our queries and more powerful, spontaneous mashups, where several services effortlessly come together to handle your request.
2. P2P. The network infrastructure of the future is peer-to-peer. Think wide open Google App Engine or Amazon Web Services, no need for web hosting, or as Sun says "the Network is the Computer".
3. Identity and trust. We'll move from IP addresses or individual "accounts" to a world wide identity. Your identity interacts with services and services interact with your identity. Forget countless profiles.
4. The network is the application. All the above will enable greater standardization, the merging of this whole mess into a more intelligent (operating) system. Countless websites and duplicate interfaces will give way to information as you want to see it. Book your movie ticket without ever going to Fandango. Do a real estate search without ever going to Redfin or another silo. Rate everything, across the network, and see your friend's ratings. Think all these services minus the walls and in a streamlined interface.

Happy Holidays + Happy 2008.

Thank you for your business.

David Notik
& the Digital202 team

646-536-7502
info@digital202.com

There's been a massive cultural change in how people interact both with each other and the organizations trying to reach them. I've been dedicated to understanding this phenomenon from the very beginning, and I decided long ago that I'd play a role in shaping the products and services that will help us realize the full potential there. I firmly believe that this is only the start of a paradigm shift that will radically (but over time) alter government, business, education, and everything in between.

For anyone (whether you're on the inside or not) struggling to grasp these changes and what it all means, here's some required reading (found via Guy Kawasaki's excellent blog). The largest interactive agency in the US just released what they call the 2007 Digital Outlook Report. I haven't yet read it in depth but I can tell you it's an excellent report, chock full of all the right insights and relevant information.

It's all about the conversation. I've emphasized that concept time and again when explaining these changes to others. Whether you're in advertising or you run an organization or are selling a product -- if you're trying to engage people (and most of us are), you absolutely must understand this phenomenon, and understand it now. This report (PDF, 6230K) will help.

From the report's welcome note:

In retrospect, the massive digital disruption we’ve experienced over the last 12 months should have been anticipated. But it seems few were fully prepared for the speed and depth of the changes. Perhaps it’s because the changes weren’t just about what Web sites became popular or what new technologies were introduced. Rather, it was a broader cultural change. Consumers’ expectations of their media evolved. The places they trusted to provide information and entertainment changed. New outlets for consumers to express themselves emerged.

In this environment, marketers are being forced to retire some long-accepted strategies for connecting with customers. In place of those dated approaches, the new digital landscape presents a chance for companies to have new, deeper, and more relevant engagement with consumers. Given the growth of interactive in 2006, it’s clear that marketers have recognized this opportunity and are ready to embrace the era of digital disruption.

For you advertisers:

Prediction. Marketing strategies will increasingly need to start with the digital channel. The interactive environment will become the central expression of a brand, and all other media will work to drive customers into that experience. The changes of the last decade will pale in comparison to those of the next—interactive video, mobile media, and the immersive qualities of gaming will challenge us to find new perspectives, new frameworks, and new standards. We are fortunate to be living in a transformational era in advertising—and we can either resist these changes or welcome them for what they are: a fantastic opportunity to redefine the customer experience. Ain’t it grand?

Your thoughts? Let's discuss.

Updated w/ more.

This is a fun video. I love playing music, and particularly percussion. I play a drum kit, but mostly just "bang on stuff". In fact, I used to get kicked out of class for drumming on the desk, and got kicked out of a drivers ed class for drumming on the steering wheel to the beat of the right-turn blinker. There's always something around to bang on, your chest or knees included, and everything makes a different sound. I believe rhythm is the foundation of all music. Even piano, which I love, is very much about timing and rhythm.

I like to pick up anything that makes a sound and have fun with it, structure the sounds you emit from it in a pleasing, syncopated way. (In fact, your own vocal chords are simply amazing, something this video didn't include.) It's of course even better with friends -- that's where the magic is. This video captures that fun -- even though the actual audio is obviously studio recorded, you get the idea. And I'd say it's even more fun when it's heard live and improvised. (Hmm, I need to go see a STOMP show, who's down?) Thought you'd enjoy.

Here's a fun video some of you may find informative -- you may learn a thing or two as it attempts to convey some of the essence of this digital and information revolution.

Guy Kawasaki asked Donald Trump: What’s the most important real-life advice you can give to an entrepreneur?

You have to love what you do. Without passion, great success is hard to come by. An entrepreneur will have tough times if he or she isn’t passionate about what they’re doing. People who love what they’re doing don’t give up. It’s never even a consideration. It’s a pretty simple formula.

(Here's some of my own thoughts on failure and passion.)

Sweet. I've been waiting for this.

The iPhone from Apple has been announced. My quick initial take:

• Just a large screen in a sleek device, do away with most every button -- just as I expected, and as I always said would be true of the mobile device of the future.
• Software trumps hardware, as this article put it. I've always said it's not about the device. We've still got a ways to go, though, before it moves from embedded software to software served from the cloud (the internet). The iPhone is at least technically ready for this with it's WiFi connectivity.
• WiFi, Cingular's EDGE network, Bluetooth 2.0 -- all the connectivity you need, and I hope to see better use of this connectivity on in the OSX software.

As per tradition, the Drupal community is inviting everyone to make their predictions for the Drupal year ahead, while simultaneously taking a look back at last year's predictions.  It seems that often these predictions are more a reflection of what the author really thinks should happen more than what will, and this is probably true for me here.  Here are a few of my own candid hopes:

Here's an article on Blake Ross, the key kid behind Firefox, and news of his big idea. Read it, then read on.

In some way, this article will tell you a lot about me. Those who know me and my story would likely agree.

Think late nights on the computer, a passion for making them easier for mom and dad, starting young, and of course ePockets. The latter is my big idea (slogan: "Keep Stuff, Share Stuff") that grew even bigger, and it is strikingly similar to Blake's big idea as you'll notice. He, of course, is already getting the word out in a big way, buoyed by his success with Firefox. You still have a lot to hear from me, on the other hand.

So how did my big idea get even bigger?

Starting immediately, I am available for part-time Drupal work.  Here's where I shine: