web 3.0 is about widgets and embedding, not semantic data

today while talking to friend john over lunch, i decided that web 3.0 is really about embedding content and features into other people’s web sites, not about semantic data and turning the web into a database. folks have been suggesting the database model is the next thing, but i’ve been dubious.

semantic data and api’s are fine and good, but i just don’t see it driving new and interesting things that much: too complex; too abstract; not literal enough and literal approaches are necessary for the mass market. abstract approaches are for technologists. the mass market is about entertainment and communication.

but look at youtube’s embedded videos and facebook applets. those are driving new usage models and creating tremendous value. the ‘embed’ tag is really the defining moment of web 3.0, and i think we’ll see more and more widgets as products. for example, the new company gydget adds fan information to your personal web page and valuable info about the band at the same time. it’s both a statement of identity and useful.

perhaps we’re somewhat saying the same thing, widgets really are lighter weight applications that rely on a semantic connection to a back end to operate, instead of serving the entire site. so they require more of a semantic architecture behind them. still, i think it’s the form factor that will define things. small widgets on phones, on web pages, on your desktop that get fed data from services. something like that. it’s about embedding things.

another example: linkedinabox makes a flash widget for your personal page with details from the linkedin networking site.

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