What is Web 3.0?

From my understanding (very limited):

Web 1.0 is mostly read-only web.
Web 2.0 came along with read-write web, that allows users to add content (blog, noticeboard, fluther)

Web 3.0 will be read-write-execute web; That is, web that allows the user to create and use tools.

(however web 3.0 is still being discussed and it can really be defined as any number of things)

Another view:

Web 1.0 is like a book, you can read it, can't really change it.
Web 2.0 is like an operating system, with a lot of seperate little applications.
Web 3.0 will be like one application with a lot of seperate features.

However I believe web 3.0 is still a long way off, it's still difficult for people to provide an adequate definition of web 2.0.

(if you want to talk graphically, web 1.0 is flat graphics, web 2.0 is shiny reflective simple graphics, speculation says web 3.0 will be 3d graphical interfaces)

So there are many answers to this question, all of which contradict each other, and all of which are valid.

I would also suggest googling around. (or whatever your favorite search engine is) It's talked about a lot, but its a long way off.

It's just a virtual buzzword for people who missed the Web 2.0 hype.

Some people believe that the semantic web is web 3.0. I have also read that it's the pervasive internet on mobile devices and other artifacts.

I've also heard someone speculate if second life could be considered web 3.0. But personally i don't believe in the whole virtual reality thing as an alternative to what we call the web today.

I guess that the web 3.0 is more like "the next big thing" than it is anything definable...

I would have to agree that this is, for the most part, a buzz word. And that even so-called 2.0 is indeed still being discussed. The description I have heard most often, however, corresponds to the one that Simon mentioned about the ubiquitous nature of the internet..

So in other words it is the "internet everywhere" factor. The other big one though is that whereas 2.0 might be considered user-created content, 3.0 acts more as a virtual tool for everything. (Much like what Perchik was saying above)

I think that this is likely one of the reasons that people make arguments about the contemporary onset of so-called 3.0 -- they're looking at things like the various Google Apps, for instance. The idea that the stand-by Office products are now online and free and sophisticated could suggest something on a level above 2.0

all the same, the whole discussion is really just buzz word city. You can find endless in-depth articles on line discussing the issue at great length. good luck!

Google CEO Eric Schmidt was recently at the Seoul Digital Forum and he was asked to define Web 3.0 by an audience member. After first joking that Web 2.0 is "a marketing term", Schmidt launched into a great definition of Web 3.0. He said that while Web 2.0 was based on Ajax, Web 3.0 will be "applications that are pieced together" - with the characteristics that the apps are relatively small, the data is in the cloud, the apps can run on any device (PC or mobile), the apps are very fast and very customizable, and are distributed virally (social networks, email, etc).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0QJmmdw3b0