my.future

The social web is changing greatly as it has already proven over the past year. The problem with most of these web applications is that they depend on a social hook to keep users interested and engaged in the content. This is going to be consistent until someone finds a way to automate the process of consistent social engagement. For example we have blippr which is a social site where users review and rate media they have experienced. Users have to sign on, find the product, put a smiley face and actually think of a constructive review to make sense in under 160 characters. Now there is also a shelving application where users who have a mac can use a web cam and look up ISBN’s of products and record them digitally in their libraries. It would be nice if these two technologies could be married. That is obviously just one example.
But the web has many applications which are just missing a link, it may be apparent/obvious or could be the most obscure thing in the world. But many of these social web applications need some extra processing features to make them unique. They must realize that they are not Facebook competitors yet and learn to not work off of the huge client base who uses applications to not be bored with what they have. They web applications have to diversify in every way possible form the web or else I feel all the research and beta testing with these applications will be for naught. They will die out because the owners will not be able to compensate for the server overhead or even care for the applications.
Well unless they turn OSS which is what many will have to do: give the burden of failure to others to take upon themselves and turn trash into treasure even through some of the trash is already treasure (yes I know sound riddling).
I really just cannot wait for the future where web and life are truly intertwined. Yeah the iphone is starting to do that but its not that well integrated enough. The iphone acts as a hub of sorts. I can see the next step of this type of technology being reliant on implants. Everything we do will be recorded. And the best part is, we will enjoy it. We will embrace the technology and live out our science fiction fantasies and there will be discrimination between pure humans and cyborgs but that’s always expected as it is a natural part of every society.
Maybe I expect a far out future that doesn’t seem so far out with recent developments being made in technology. Either way this new technology needs to develop faster and make some changes just as open source ideology and reality tv has taken hold of our world, because I’m ready for change.