Week 2: Social Media - Why Google Wave Failed

Ok I admit, when Google Wave beta was first launched, I was excited. I was going all "SEND ME AN INVITE!" because hey, it's Google and Google produces good stuff.

But then I actually got my invite and saw what Google Wave was really all about, and I wasn't sold. Not one bit.

Are you confused?

Well I sure was. For those too lazy to watch the video, Google Wave is basically social networking, wikis, instant messaging and file sharing all thrown into one platform. However, I was confounded by Google Wave. Here's three reasons why:

1. Why do I need Google Wave? 

Okay, so I can share it with several people. I can see edits in real time. I can even use it for social networking, and to talk so some random French person I have a language barrier with! 

But wait... Document sharing? Wikis already do that. Edits in real time? Google Docs does that too. Social networking? Well why would I want to bring something fun like social networking into a seemingly work and efficiency based application? People want to idle around social networking sites to have fun, stalk others and so on but who idles around their email homepage? And what are the chances that I'd be acquainted with someone I can't communicate with on normal circumstances? 

2. Why is it so complicated?

Wait a minute... What? What's this about real-time posting and editing to websites? Sounds cool but it seems much more than what an average user is able to grasp. Why is Facebook successful? Because it is easy to use. It's so easy to use that even my mother has an account where she chats with friends, plays games and keeps in touch with her old friends. Would she be using something like Google Wave? I doubt so. 

3. How many people are actually willing to use this? 

The entire existence of Google Wave depends so heavily on the assumption that many people are using it. However, by alienating half the online population who are not so tech-savvy or willing to learn and master new technology like Google Wave, they are left with a very small user population. How can I start a Wave and share it with others when I have only two friends using Google Wave? That's why Friendster is going down the drain - because nobody uses it anymore, everyone is on Facebook and you'd have only about 20 friends if you signed up with Friendster now. Not exactly a lot fun, I would imagine. 

If Google Wave had arrived maybe several years later, the online population might be more receptive to such brilliance. Just imagine, with the gadgets that developers could have produced, Google Wave might be the only thing we needed to open on our browser, connecting us to all our social networking sites, emails and instant messaging clients! Too bad it had to die. 

Week 1: Augmented Reality - One Step Closer to Web 3.0

This week we learned about the history of the Internet. We found out that in my childhood days, the World Wide Web was known as Web 1.0. This was our Netscape and Mosaic browser era, when computers ran on MS-DOS and information on webpages was static (remember Geocities?) and behaved more like bulletin notices; created by someone and put out there for our information.

Web 2.0 is what we're familiar with now. YouTube, Google Documents, Amazon.com, Facebook... These are sites that are driven by user-generated content and interactivity is what clearly sets it apart from Web 1.0.

There has been much talk about Web 3.0. According to Wikipedia, it is both about personalization of the Web to an individual's tastes and convenience and also about Semantic Web. Semantic Web is sometimes synonymous with Web 3.0, but according to HowStuffWorks, loosely means that computers of the future would be able to understand the meaning and context of say, our search engine queries, instead of just matching the words with similar keywords on websites. In short, Web 3.0 is supposed to be a mind-blowing experience of having the Internet streamlined to suit your personal tastes, understand the exact nuances of your requests and find information for you that is exactly what you're looking for.

Kind of like having your iPhone grow legs, hands and a brain and become your new BFF.

The good folks at Digital Inspiration have kindly compiled a simple table to illustrate the differences between Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0:

While we can't quite call the technology we have today Web 3.0, we are slowly getting there. Filling the gaps between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is augmented reality. In simple terms, with the right application, holding up your smartphone with its camera on and pointing it towards the thing you want to learn more about is the only thing you need to do to pull information about it off the web.

Here's a short video on what augmented reality is.

Breath-takingly simple yet unbelievably efficient, right? Augmented reality is available right now, even in Singapore, with popular iPhone apps like buUuk.

Imagine that - information is presented to you without tedious, manual, individual searches on the Web!

Not limited to food, there are also apps for astronomy like Pocket Universe; impress your date by buying a US$2.99 app that tells you the name of the constellation you're staring at.

Augmented reality even does real-time translation with Word Lens.

Notably, the most impressive use of augmented reality comes from an app known as Layar. When it was first introduced in 2009, it focused on the ease of search for things near you, much like the app, buUuk. However, it went further than just comparing information pulled off the web; it went for an interactive experience.

Look into the past, see into the future, play games and interact with others using your smartphone camera

While still buggy and sometimes prone to crashing, these apps are a clear sign that we are inching closer towards Web 3.0. It would be a completely personal, intuitive and simple experience. Though augmented reality is not what Web 3.0 is all about, with these technological advances, it enhances the entire experience of the web. The only thing lacking now is a way for computers to understand the semantics of our words. I wonder how much further can scientists take the concept of augmented reality when that day comes?