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10 Rules for Succeeding in a Web 3.0 World

 

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LinkedIn Founder 3122128660 a5234e9b5b mReid Hoffman took the stage at South By South West Interactive to discuss the future of the Internet and how data is the next major evolution of the social Web. Today, the future is being invented faster than most could have imagined only a few decades ago.

Previous Internet Eras

Web 1.0 - Web 1.0 was an era of low bandwidth. It was a time when users would search for files and bring them back to the desktop. Users then surfed the Internet as unidentified hobbyists.

Web 2.0 - In Web 2.0, everyone's presence online became more personalized and authentic. Tools emerged to help individuals collaborate with real-life identities. The impact has been dramatic. These innovations opened up information and helped spur revolutions. The Web truly became global and the world became smaller.

Defining Web 3.0

Web 3.0 has been described in many ways, but Hoffman believes that the next generation of the Web is all about data. Now individuals are sharing content as themselves across blogs, social networks, and other platforms. We have access to more and better data than businesses have ever had before. This data, Hoffman believes, will define the future of the Web.

Barriers to Web 3.0

Privacy - With the accumulation of data and evolution of media, many questions rise around the issue of who owns and has access to data. Hoffman is most worried about how governments will handle data and use it, especially against individuals who are not citizens. 

Data Management - Two important rules: first, never ambush users and second, not all data is created equal. Some data pieces are more important and more private than others. Businesses have to follow these two rules to be successful in Web 3.0

The Future As a Brave New World

Hoffman used LinkedIn Skills as an example of how leveraging data can improve user experience. LinkedIn compiled a list of skills that were popular on their network and then graphed these important skills. Once this data is exposed, you can use it to help people find jobs or to determine which industries are seeing growth. Other applications that Hoffman gave as an example of leveraging data in Web 3.0 are Mint and Redfin. This type of data usage, Hoffman believes, is what we will see in Web 3.0. 

10 Rules For Succeeding In a Web 3.0 World

1. Disruptive Change - Is your new product or business initiating a change that is 10x better from what currently exists? If not, then it is not worth doing. An example of this type of business is Skype.

2. Aim Big - It is the same amount of effort per year to make a big company instead of a small company. Will your business or product impact an entire industry?

3. Build A Network to Amplify Your Company - Having networks is critical to growing a business and making better business decisions. 

4. Plan for Both Good and Bad Luck - Planning for good luck is about pivoting on opportunities that are good, but unexpected. Planning for bad luck is about considering what other options exist if something goes wrong.

5. Flexible Persistence - It is important to know when to change and when to persist.

6. Launch Early Enough That You Are Embarrassed at Your First Product - Most likely, you are at least partially wrong on the vision of your product or business. Getting feedback from customers early is invaluable.

7. Aim High But Don't Drink Your Own Kool-Aid - This rule is about believing in your vision while constantly checking yourself to make sure what you think is right. Leverage your network to make sure you are going down the right path.

8. Having a Great Product Is Important, But Having A Great Product Distribution Strategy Is More Important - Many great products, Hoffman stated, fail because they don't have the right strategy to reach their market.

9. Pay Attention to Your Culture and Hires From the Start - Each new hire might hire the next person, so it is important that your standards hold over time.

10. These Rules Can Be Broken - The first 9 rules can be broken and are not absolute.

Marketing Takeaway

Web 3.0 comes from the data that is being created in all of the Web 2.0 applications. In the future, product managers and marketers will need to gain the skills of data scientists.

Do you agree with Hoffman's vision of Web 3.0?

Photo Credit: Joi

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Posted by Kipp Bodnar on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 @ 10:51 AM

COMMENTS

Web 3.0 really!? Ugh, the term just makes me cringe. One more new buzz word to throw at clients to scare the crap out of them. I understand the purpose here but why do you need to label it like this. I never liked the term web 2.0 because of what it made people think of (glossy buttons and line pattern schemes) and I don't think the term web 3.0 is going to do much for us as an industry either. Why can't we just say things are evolving and here's what that means. I am now primed and ready for the onslaught of "are you web 3.0 ready?" blog posts. ;)

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 12:16 PM by MatthewTNelson


Great Blog. clear thinking. 
 
Loved rule 4 "Balanced Strategy" 
 
Thank you and well Done! 
 
Brian McIver linkedin 
 
BMAC Consultants

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 12:28 PM by Brian McIver


I know what's going on, and I'm no idiot, but I still haven't seen an definition of web 3.0 that I can understand. Unfortunately this article doesn't help. It's "all about data" ... ? Really? Now I get it.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 12:32 PM by Frank Fortin


Whatever. Waste of article.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 12:33 PM by Michael Wilcox


Maybe you should call it Web 2.5? ;^) If you're just taking/manipulating data created using Web 2.0 applications, nothing about the Web has changed, just the way you're using the existing data.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 12:39 PM by Hsuan-min Chou


Judging from the negative comments that are appearing, my guess is that Web 3.0 WILL be a big deal. It's usually the nay-sayers that jump out first screaming, "no, no, no...!" I saw the same ruckus during the introduction of the iPad, "nothing more than nine iPhones taped to a serving tray!" That one was my favorite. 
 
For the gentleman that hasn't heard a good explanation of what Web 3.0 really is, let me simplify it: It's about stuff. 
 
Where to find your stuff 
Where to put your stuff 
Where to find other peoples stuff 
How to sell your stuff 
How to store and retrieve your stuff 
 
Or as George Carlin put it, "...a place for your stuff." 
 
With the shift to a more digital workspace, you still have the same issues as in a brick-and-motar world: inventory. 
 
If you want to open the next Nieman-Marcus, you have to find the property, build the store, find the suppliers and create a supply chain. You have to stock the store, market your products, find buyers, deliver the sold items and keep track of all of this. 
 
What's the difference between that and digital content? Nothing. 
 
But as content gets bigger and bigger every day, storing, distributing and keeping track of it gets more difficult. 
 
Think of Web 2.0 as the birth of the Industrial Age 
Think of Web 3.0 as Henry Ford creating the assembly line.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 1:17 PM by Jay Walsh


Good comment Jay. Agree with you totally with you totally that as content gets bigger and bigger it definitely gets harder to store, organize, distribute and track. If naming the convention about getting smarter and more proactive about taking proper care and dedicating the necessary resources to make that happen Web 3.0 I am all for it. :)

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 1:22 PM by MatthewTNelson


Hoffman has made a pretty large leap by trying to predict what trends are next. As is with any technology, it can change as quick as someone coming up with an idea as revolutionary as Google's search engine or Apple's iPhone. I'm a bit more hesitant to take his predictions as gospel, but I understand his thought process. 
 
As I see it now, I do see 3.0 leveraging people's data. Companies would be foolish not to data mine. But that's assuming that no one creates a new platform or a new way to use the Internet. Someone or some company could come out with an idea to completely revolution who we interact with each other. 
 
www.keepthepeakunique.com 
 
Sean Mitchell

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 1:31 PM by Sean Mitchell


This is a really good, easy-to-follow explanation of Web 3.0 (a.k.a. The Semantic Web or Linked Data) from a marketing standpoint:  
 
 
 
Nine Ways the Semantic Web of Data Will Change Marketing  
 
http://www.hvacrbusiness.com/news/article/1512/nine_ways_the_semantic_web_of_data_will_change_marketing_.aspx 
 
 
 
And more at our blog: 
 
 
 
The Semantic Web: Repository-less Master Data Management? 
 
http://enterworks.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/the-semantic-web-repository-less-mdm/ 
 

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 2:41 PM by FMJohnson


Matthew, thank you for the comment. I just had an interesting discussion with some friends about this and the myriad of concepts of what Web 3.0 is (or will be). I think what, in essence, people are trying to do is foretell the future of technology that hasn't bee invented yet. 
 
One of my buddies gave me this line, "I think Web 3.0 will take the internet out of being the internet. Meaning, we'll look at it as we do electricity, plumping and the phone. We're no longer concentrating on how it works, but accepting that it does work and how we can exploit that. Just like when you turn on the faucet, turn on the TV or ring someone on the phone. We've got this ability, now what do we do with it?"

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 2:47 PM by Jay Walsh


It's an interesting projection, and I like it. Regardless of how we will define it in the future, data filing and organizing and grouping will be a very good thing for someone to address in a "10 Xs better than anyone else" kind of way.  
 
Every day I wish there was a system which automated my stuff, from my latest passwords to where I filed which version of X, Y and Z. It's time. 
 
The work is just waiting to be done by folks with the smarts, the resources and open minds. Chances are we begin to see serious product around this pretty soon, I bet.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 3:18 PM by Petalyn Alberrt


Petalyn, try 1password. Its fantastic.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 3:41 PM by Craig


Yes I do agree and I'd like to add that as far as I understood, it looks I am doing pretty well on following these points. Thank you for the excellent inspiration.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 3:46 PM by Luca Leonardini


Here's how I put it. 
Web 1.0 was you 
Web 2.0 was/is us 
Web 3.0 is me. 
 
Mint.com as a 3.0 company? I doubt it. Twitter, Facebook and Groupon are all data companies. I agree that the paradigm shift is Internet of Things. Or, as Jay and the late great George puts it... The Internet of Stuff.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 4:09 PM by Ishak Kang


Yes, I agree. Insightful and helpful and seems to make sense for building $1B valuations. It's typically about attracting the right people and retaining them (but its really hard to do)

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 4:51 PM by Dan Tyre


Like the post, more people are blogging and companies are now engaging with clients online that's a great thing as it encourages transparency. Our use of the web and the way we communicate has evolved. Look forward to reading more.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 6:09 PM by Barbara Buick


While I agree in principle,  
 
"In the future, product managers and marketers will need to gain the skills of data scientists.", first we need to get over our current overly zealous state of data hoarding, "analysis paralysis", and gathering mounds of data. Yet, fail to quickly extract insights to implement actionable tactics to create results. 
 
 
 
To a certain degree, marketing automation tool vendors are adding complexity to our current obsession with metrics, analyses, benchmarking rpts.  
 
 
 
What marketers and companies really want is "simplicity" i.e., net out all the links, hits, charts and graphs and point me to the answer!  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 6:59 PM by Nancy Chou


I thought the blog post was basic. I liked #10. The comments were very beneficial. Jay, great explanation. In my last seminar, I heard 10 different definitions of 3.0. They all seemed to be using the same tools to gather, sort, store and spread data.

posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 8:43 PM by Dowell Taggart Team


You completely missed the mark with this article. This described web 2.0.

posted on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:44 AM by Rick Bakas


It seems to me that to speak about transition on 3.0 still rather early. All possibilities 2.0 aren't used yet.

posted on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 3:36 AM by Rasim


The explanation of Rules for succeeding web is very easy to follow.This article is good and useful. 
____________ 
Tom 

posted on Friday, March 18, 2011 at 3:30 AM by Top Seo projects


Great post. sounds more on strategy than on marketing. However, a necessary piece for entrepreneurs.

posted on Friday, March 18, 2011 at 5:45 AM by Abhishek Syal


This definitely highlights the need to make not only a web presence for you/your business/your brand on the internet. A solid web presence starts with a solid website, and the community you build around that is a second, vital layer. blog.andyswebtools.com 

posted on Friday, March 18, 2011 at 1:12 PM by andyswebtools


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