The promise of Web 3.0 is monumental and can't get here fast enough — if the hype is anywhere close to accurate.
To get our heads around Web 3.0, let’s take a quick review of exactly what Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 unleashed on humanity. Web 1.0 was the birth of the medium, generally covering the years from 1991 to 2004. It’s where the technology became a consumer driven medium. Most sites were static, digital brochures with little interactivity. That changed with Web 2.0, when content creation was put in the hands of the masses, and the medium exploded. It was all about user-generated content, collaboration and social networking. In addition to the birth of this very platform we know and love, WordPress, the world was introduced to Google Docs, Amazon, Twitter, Flickr, eBay, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Dropbox, podcasts and more. Although there were predictions of an earlier demise, Web 2.0 is still with us today. Web 3.0 is about creating a more transparent and equitable Internet. And most importantly, you control your own data — instead of the prying eyes of Facebook, Google, et al., storing every bit of information about you and your habits. This is the easy part of grasping Web 3.0.
Now it gets interesting
The architecture of Web 3.0 is built on blockchain technology — which a vast majority of people haven’t the slightest clue about. At this writing, when you Google ‘definition of blockchain technology’, the snippet on page one goes to IMB.com, which states:
Blockchain defined: Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network. An asset can be tangible (a house, car, cash, land) or intangible (intellectual property, patents, copyrights, branding).
Source: What is blockchain technology? (ibm.com) Since I don’t want to appear dim-witted, I’m going to glaze over that, keep reading and hope that sooner or later something will make sense. Or I just cut to the chase and check out this video: Now it’s starting to make sense. But this example is only scratching the surface.
Decentralization = Cutting Out the Middleman
When you hear the term decentralization — that refers to the peer-to-peer ecosystem that cuts out the middleman, and there are numerous iterations of this. Ultimately cutting out PayPal or your bank from a person-to-person (or company to company) financial transaction. No more paying your credit card company 2.5% of a transaction, plus a .35 cent ding for the pleasure of using their plastic card. Also, with decentralization, data cannot be lost if one server crashes, as the rest will keep humming.
Privacy, Ownership, Freedom of Speech and Security
File this in the ‘too good to be true department’. What the underlying architecture of Web 3.0 promises is full, flexible yet complete control over your personal data — everything from your identity, intellectual property, medical records, financial records, and more. You will control how your personal information is used, not The Tech Gods. Online censorship by technology companies who don’t like your opinions, thoughts or politics will be a thing of the past. The Internet is now the town square, and no voices must be silenced, no matter how unpleasant those words may be to those who disagree. This is America. This is who we are.
The Trust Factor. And Fears Of It.
Since total privacy of data movement is intrinsic to the Web 3.0 backbone, there will be no need for banking services or any “trusted” third party to confirm that in any online transaction a buyer and seller are ‘legit’ (and take their cut!) That is staggering for the forces that control money movement on this planet. Do you think they will passively watch this unfold? Buckle up, friends. We’ll be experiencing some turbulence pretty soon. Also, when you hear the term ‘immutable‘, that means any transaction recorded in a network’s shared ledger cannot me tampered with or changed in any manner.
More on this in coming posts, or give our newsletter a try.
If you’re interested in receiving our randomly published email newsletter, give us a shout. This is primarily composed for our SEO, hosting and creative services clients, but does include content that is important to all online entrepreneurs — from a technology, small business management and marketing perspective.
Google’s Latest Algorithm Update and How It Impacts eCommerce Sites
The latest algorithm update was unleashed by Google on August 2. Google’s latest ranking update was August 2, 2022 which actually completed the July 27, 2022 update, which focused on product reviews content. If you do affiliate marketing, no doubt you’ve discovered it’s not easy to get your pages ranked against the big players. The absolute worst thing you can do is copy the descriptive product content that’s already on the manufacturers website. This will guarantee Google and other search engines will ignore your pages. Which means no sales. But there is a path to compete for top rankings, and like anything else related to search results it will require thought, commitment and patience. You have think about it from the goals Google has set for the quality of their results — what most benefits the user, in this case a shopper looking a product? Best practices are to create something that really gives the shopper some unique insight to the product. Write about your own experiences with it if that applies, to show your expertise and authority on the subject. Do comparisons with similar products, pointing out pros and cons of each. On a technical note, you’ll want to present any comparisons or pros and cons in structured data. If you’re not sure what that is, ask your web developer 😉 Give the shopper something to think about, and act on. Include links to multiple vendors and resources to help them make a decision. Properly executed, all of this will help the shopper click on your affiliate link to make the purchase. Cha-ching!
