Web 3.0 sites are cool, but...

I don't know if anyone has agreed on what Web 3.0 is yet, but more than likely it will be a more prominent form of the Semantic Web. Jumping to a round number usually requires a seismic shift.

I think what you're talking about are merely the latest cosmetic trends. But I agree that a lot of people are putting form over function. But they've always done that. This is just the latest version of that.

Care explaining what a Web 3.0 website is in a little more detail?

The concept sounds intriguing...

In my opinion, web 3.0 is simply responsive design.

As I understand it, so-called 3.0 sites have a landing page that fills the screen, and there's nothing else (apparently) to the site. No buttons or tabs -- no traditional navigation at all. Only a small downward pointing arrow in the center of the page.

Then IF the visitor scrolls down, the rest of the site "appears" progressively AS the visitor reaches it (as they scroll down more and more).

It's a little like driving up to a DEAD END -- but what you don't know is, if you keep driving (anyway), a NEW bit of road appears in front of you, every time you drive a little further.

Problem is, if you are stopped at the end of what SEEMS to be a dead end, and you don't know/realize that if you drive further IN SPITE of the apparent dead end, new bits of road will appear for you, then there's no reason for you to even try. That's the education/learning curve.

-- TW

I think your focusing on one aspect of "Web 3.0", which is simplicity. Stripping away all the unimportant parts of a design and UX, and focusing on what really matters, the content. But this is only one part of web 3.0.

People have been talking about web 3.0 since 2006. So what it is, or what it will be, has changed a lot since then. There's probably no one who can say for sure what web 3.0 will be, but you can look at trends and draw some conclusions. Here's my shot at it:

Collaboration : With web 2.0 we reduced the barriers between content creators and content consumers. Websites like Instagram and Twitter, allow you to quickly create content and share it with the world. But most of this content is pumped into a vacuum, where you just have a lot of people shouting at each other, and whoever can shout the loudest, or be the most unique, get's heard. With web 3.0 I think you'll have people working together to create content. You can already see this with sites like Github and Medium.

Anonymity/Privacy : You're going to see a lot more sites try to tackle privacy and anonymity. People are becoming more cautious about where they send there data, and different countries are in an ongoing fight against free speech. Out of this, apps like Whisper and Secret have been born, but there will be a lot more to come. There's some revolutionary stuff in the works, that might change how we communicate and transact forever. Bitcoin and other crypto currencies are going to play a large role in this.

I'm most interested in this aspect of web 3.0 because it's like the "wild west" right now. There's so much opportunity it's hard to decide what to take advantage of first!

Mobile : Mobile is already big, and every warrior here is paying attention to it. But it will become even more prominent as things go on. I think you're going to see people build for mobile first, instead of the other way around. This is because mobile forces "simplicity". You have such a limited amount of space that you have to be very selective about what you include.

Real Time : We're going to move into an always connected, always synchronized world. Were the majority of apps will synchronize across all your different devices. Your television is going to transform, so that your TV will be full of apps, that also sync with your phone. You'll have stuff like "Second screen interactivity". The cool thing about this is, you could see an advertisement on TV, and be able to interact with it real time on your phone. This will be big for marketers. The best part is that your TV advertisements could become extremely personalized, so your neighbors watching the same channel, on the same network, might see different commercials than you do. TV's not dead yet!

Another addition to the "always connected" Environment will be the ability to control all your devices from your phone. For example, you could turn the lights off in your house while your commuting to work.

There's a lot more, things like education, transportation, and health are all going to change. Web 3.0 isn't just about what's happening in your browser. It will be about what's happening all around you. Now is probably one of the best times ever to make money.

But as much as I love tech, I think we have a bit too much of it. Last year, I was able to spend one week surrounded by a few thousand people, who had no phones, no wifi, and no computer. What happened? Everybody was forced to talk to each other (imagine that). Some of the most fun i've ever had. Reminded me that technology has made us all a bit anti social. Maybe Web 3.0 should include apps that encourage offline collaboration. Airbnb and Uber come to mind.