A look into the future of Social Networks...

We are still very much into the infancy of the 2nd phase of the internet and what is being referred to as web 2.0. There is also some talk of the next generation Web 3.0 or the "Semantic Web". Web 2.0 is all about creating a community. Web 1.0 was all about people reading content created by a small number of "expert" authors where web 2.0 is all about community. Everyone can be a writer as well as a reader.

Web 2.0 cannot be said without thinking or saying the words "Facebook" and "MySpace". There are also all sorts of business focused social media platforms sprouting up everywhere with these real cool, funky names like Jive and Mzinga and KicksApps and Pluck, etc etc...this is starting to sound like a competition for "Who has the craziest name competition"...A look into the future? It is why you are reading this post? Correct? The future is Web 3.0. Its all about semantics. Semantics instill context and purpose into content. Content on its own is really not too spectacular. Like this morning, I read a Tweet from someone that said, "Just got back from the wild outdoors...lots of snow!"....I said "So what!?!?". Then I also read a tweet that said, "Looking for input on the future of social networks"...on its own this tweet is not too important the fact that it came from one of the analysts at a tier 1 technology analyst firm has me interested. The difference between the first and second tweet? Context....Tweeting is just one tool of a good social media platform. So what if the entire social media platform had context built right into it...like perhaps the intersection of an HR system? Or maybe the connection into a CRM system?

What I am getting at folks is that the future of social networks is all about "context". Social media like blogs, wikis, tweets, profiles, online communties etc have an exponential amount of value if there is some purpose behind the data. Imagine if the information people authored could seemlessly be used for some strategic purpose in an enterprise...like recruitment (i.e. finding the best talent). Or perhaps performance management (i.e. evaluating your employees based on a year's worth of endorsements and social media interactions).

Now that would certainly elevate the value and the audience of a social network to a whole other level...