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“The Semantic Web is all about collective intelligence, on several levels”.

“Many applications and services claim to be ’semantic’ in one manner or another, but that does not mean they are Semantic Web”.

“Semantic applications include any applications that can make sense of meaning, particularly in language such as unstructured text, or structured data in some cases. By this definition, all search engines today are somewhat ’semantic’ but few would qualify as ‘Semantic Web’ apps”.

Read Nova Spivak’s blog.

The web is going through a roadmapping exercise and everyone involved in that discussion has an expectation around innovating one way or another. In the process, many appear to be confused about what that would actually mean. So, I would like to refer back to an article where I presented definitions and a chart involving transformational, gradual, disruptive and incremental innovations. 

Despite of the fact that innovative 2.0 applications have clearly emerged and that investments have followed (many focusing on social networking, enterprise collaboration and user generated content) some are still spending time and efforts figuring out if 2.0 is just a marketing term or whether there is substance behind it.

I suggest acknowledging the fact that 2.0 is an example of a transformational innovation, meaning the main infrastructure was already in place, thus becoming a platform for emerging applications to see the light. So, to settle this matter, a product manager (if there was one for the Web) would position 1.0 as a disruptive innovation and 2.0 as an evolutionary release with clearly distinctive features and original value.

Today’s discussions about Web 3.0 transpire a desire to deliver a more radical product with no current understanding on whether this will be a transformational innovation or a disruptive one.

From a product management perspective, ecosystems and value chains should be part of the picture. While current focus on 3.0 and beyond is mostly about the underlying enabling technology and potential applications, there also is a need to add to consider developments impacting interdependent subjects such as: network infrastructure and intelligence (MANet?), user devices and interfaces (Minority Report? Virtual Environments?), business models (Freemium?) and, most importantly, the quality of the users’ individual and social experiences (2015?).

The point being, for a 3.0 release to deliver a disruptive rather than just a transformational innovation, there is now a need for cross-pollinating based on a multi-disciplinary approach.

José de Francisco  Chicago, 6 October 07  

“The Top 10″ at the time of uploading this article: [1] Design Concepts: Future Car. [2] Mobile Phone Concepts: Egy Studio. [3] Mobile Blogging (6): Use Your Phone As A 3G Modem. [4] Innovation Coolhunting In South Korea. [5] MANet: Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks. [6] The Economist & Technology Review: “Lessons From Apple’s Design”. [7] New Branded And Mission Specific Virtual Environments. [8] Innovation Networks (2). [9] TechCrunch Conference 2007. [10] Project Ergofuturo: ErgoTrans (1991 Product Concept).