Web 3.0 – Location is everything
A remarkable shift is about to change the way people use the internet. As more and more devices incorporate GPS technology and connect to the web, location-based information and services will quickly become the ‘killer app’ of the decade.
Web 3.0 or GPS 2.0?
For years, pundits and internet gurus have been debating the future of the web. To some, Web 3.0 is the culmination of semantic web browsing (see Wikipedia for more on the semantic web). To others, the next-gen web recognizes the rise of smart-technology, where our appliances spend more time online than we do.
However, it is the viewpoint of this humble publication that, once realized, Web 3.0 will bring together online data, personal preferences and – most importantly – physical location to provide audiences with a truly unique and tailored experience.
Location, Location, Location
In theory, a location-based web will provide the consumer with highly targeted and personalized content based on their exact location. Companies and organizations will harness a location-based web to drive sales and to guide consumers to retail outlets, service locations and events.
Take, for example, the realty industry. By incorporating location data, a realtor’s website would interact with the consumer’s mobile device to display various levels of detail. On a macro-level, the site would direct the user to the ten closest homes that match their chosen criteria. Once at the desired property, the same technology would provide pertinent information about each room in the house, based on exact location and altitude. A similar example would see retail banks directing members to branches, ABMs and after-hours support lines based on the user’s location and time of day.
Organizations that are able to deploy a location-based web will enjoy a huge advantage over their competitors, but success will necessitate a new perspective on the way information is accessed and displayed.
Here we go again…
Most organizations will find that the practical implementation of a location-based Web 3.0 will require the close cooperation of cross-functional teams led by IT, but including communications, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service.
For professional communicators, the development of Web 3.0 will mean an essential shift in the way we view our customers and their needs. Not least of all, corporate website copy that used to appeal to the broadest possible audience will take a fair amount of reorganizing and refocusing to truly take advantage of the enhanced customer segmentation delivered by Web 3.0 applications.
In the end, Web 3.0 will be far from just ‘another cool app’. It will create new communications channels, fundamentally transforming our communications strategies while offering unimagined opportunities to build valuable and relevant relationships with our audiences.
Web 3.0 – Location is everything (a.k.a. The Advent of GPS 2.0) is one of our Top Ten Communications Issues for 2010. Next week we’ll look at issue #7: The Content Ownership Wars
