Web 3.0: Everything Old Is New Again

There's a lot of speculation about what Web 3.0 will entail. And just like 2.0, we probably won't understand it fully until it's already past. Therefore, I'll offer my prediction for 3.0, taking comfort in the knowledge that at this point my guess is as good as anyone else's.

Web 3.0 will be dominated by . . . search.

What, you say? Haven't we already been there and done that? Hasn't social computing shown the true power of the Web? Yes. But it won't hold a candle to the enhancements geographic data will give to search.

Imagine what it'll be like when our handhelds, outfitted with a fast and functional browser and GPS technology, will adjust the prominence of our search results based on our location, which it will know at all times.

Want pizza? Type it into your favorite engine and pull up the first ten results, all within two blocks of where you're standing when you hit "Search." Forget having to post a query on Chowhound. Forget having to remember and type in your current zip code. Forget asking a friend—or a Playful Librarian—for a recommendation. The local pizza places' sites, and every opinion available on their products, will be pushed into your hand.

Forget even having to Twitter your friends with your location. They—and probably the government—will already know.

And if you use your browser frequently and personalize it enough, it may even learn your preferences, anticipate your searches, offer suggestions you haven't asked for yet, and place your order before you arrive at your destination.