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Jason Calacanis Makes “The World’s Greatest Coffee!”
Next time you are in NYC, try to count the number of coffee shops, diners, bodegas, and other establishments selling "The World’s Greatest Coffee!" It’s hard to go just one block without seeing a sign with those words. But how can everyone be selling the greatest? Isn’t there only one champion?
Jason Calacanis has decided that today he has declared the "official" definition of Web 3.0.
Let me break it down for everyone… there is ONE WEB. One. Not 2, not 20, not 50. There is no Web 3.0. It’s just the Web. But naturally a person can sell more books and get more inbounds by declaring Web 21.2B instead of just calling it the Web or the Internet.
Here are some of the reactions from across "Web 2.0" (or is it Web 3.0?):
- Josh seems to agree with me regarding one web, "I’ve recently come to the conclusion that Web 2.0 has no meaning. It now means “any Internet-based company that has launched after 2004”. It is as useless a descriptor as “dot com” was."
- Fred also dislikes the numbering, "I don’t like the term web 2.0 and I sure hope we don’t perpetuate this nonsensical versioning much further."
- Mathew looks deeper into the meaning, "Jason’s definition is also effectively a thumbnail description of Mahalo, the people-powered search/directory service he is trying to build."
So exactly what is Jason’s Web 3.0 definition?
Web 3.0 is defined as the creation of high-quality content and services produced by gifted individuals using Web 2.0 technology as an enabling platform.
Let’s analyze what the Mahalo CEO has defined as the next version of the Web as we know it.
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"creation of high-quality content and services produced by gifted individuals" – there is plenty of high-quality content and services today – but "gifted individuals" – so is that to say that today there are no gifted individuals? Or is there a certain demographic that is considered "gifted?" A certain race, sex, bank account?
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"using Web 2.0 technology as an enabling platform" – we already do this today
So the only real difference between where we are today and Jason’s Web 3.0 definition is "gifted individuals" – the entrepreneur a-list if you will. Because the common man or woman just couldn’t be considered in this new Web 3.0 mechanism.
Couple quick notes:
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It’s interesting that people actually comment on Jason’s weblog since he turns on comments at will – it’s so "sheep-like"
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Jason makes a great statement that I agree with 100%, "I’d also like to thank TechMeme for being the easiest linkbaiting tool in the history of Web 2.0 (can it really be this easy?). " While this story was a good piece for Techmeme, there are ways to game the system (like any system including Mahalo). I am sure we will soon see a a statement from the Mahalo CEO — something like "Mahalo – It’s Techmeme free"
What drives me up the wall is that the web is not software – it’s an environment/community sum total of many parts and people.
You don’t just go from web 2.0 to web 3.0. There aren’t even dot releases. It’s just… the web.
Plus, you’re killing kittens.
What drives me up the wall is that the web is not software – it’s an environment/community sum total of many parts and people.
You don’t just go from web 2.0 to web 3.0. There aren’t even dot releases. It’s just… the web.
Plus, you’re killing kittens.
Yes, yes I do.
I also make a great linkbait latte. ;-)
j
don’t you have some fancy coffee pot at your mahalo office? i thought i saw a pic of it somewhere.
I have always said that you do a great job of keeping yourself in the spotlight because the minute your ego-radar lowers to defcon 2 – you just create something or make something up to raise it back to defcon 5.
Yes, but when you’re linkbaiting so people will laugh at your absurdity, it doesn’t do you much good.
Here… you can have a taste of the reputation you have amongst web developers: Mahalo: Human powered hype
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MentallyRetired | WackyLabs LLC
By posting and linking to him aren’t you just perpetuating the kind of attention he’s looking to grab? :P
And people discounting Web2.0 as a concept are being a little too elitist. Obviously it’s the Web, but to deny that there hasn’t been a movement and shift in the way we perceive the web is going too far. I’m sure a simple graph could explain this pretty clearly.
Anybody proclaiming Web3.0 now, as you’ve correctly pointed out is just looking for headlines.
Trust me, Linking to him is not something I enjoy – in fact, I need override #2 just to enter his URL! :)
I have been doing this thing since it began and I agree that there was a shift and so forth – but it’s merged into "web" and it’s now just the Web. I wish I could draw the image in my head so I could explain what I mean in pictures.
Omar – let’s get a patent on Web 11 now so we are ready for 2014 :)
Of course you can’t possibly claim that the Internet has not changed drastically over the years. However, if we were to start breaking down all of the significant changes since the Web began, we would certainly not be simply at the dawning of “Web 3.0″. We would be at the dawning of something like “Web 27.4″.
The addition of graphics to Web sites would have been the first re-versioning of the Web.
Also, I have to agree with Allen’s reasoning when he says that Web 3.0 sounds just like Web 2.0. With such a minor change, shouldn’t it really be “Web 2.0.1b” or something? Maybe I spend too much time playing with developmental software, but I certainly would not apply an entirely new version number for such a minuscule change.