If you’re at all involved in on-line surfing, blogging, text messaging, or social spaces you’ve heard the term “Web 2.0” coined by Tim O’Reilly.  I work in the world of eLearning as an LMS Administrator and eLearning development consultant.  I have two digital natives living at home; 19 year old and a 10 year old.  I read blogs, participate in forums, read books, go to conferences and I sitll don’t think anyone really has defined what Web 2.0 really is.

The first assumption when you start putting digits behind something, it usually means a version upgrade.  So Web 2.0 suggests to me there will be a Web 3.0 – or will it be Web 2.5, or Web 2.01 and what will all that mean?  For a sarcastic example lets say Web 3.0 surfaces in another 10 years.  What then?  Will we be coming home after work and putting on our holographic virtual jump suit, turning on the panoramic wall viewers, firing up the ‘box’, putting on our sensory gloves and virtual helmet cam?  Then we immerse ourselves into wherever we want to go before dinner.  “Have you immersed socially today with Web 3.0?”  I can hear it now.

Seriously, in my work life and my observations at home I see more than just Web 2.0.  I see Life 2.0 emerging into two lives.  My son at 19 is just like any other male teenager.  No dicispline, no direction, full of enthusiasm and spirit, and can’t wait to fly.  Yet, he’s connected beyond what I can keep up with.  He manages two social network sites, three email accounts, plays live video games on two consoles, manages an extensive music library on an iPod and Razr phone and all as it were a way of life.  That’s it!  It IS a way of life.

Life 2.0 is a generation of folks who share 500 text messages in an hour and have full conversations with friends and never actually speak out loud.  Life 2.0 is knowing your entire 2,000+ song library by artist, genre, and title.  Life 2.0 is tagging every last piece of information on your Facebook page whether it has a relevant topic.  Life 2.0 is digital pure and simple.

I’m going to draw a picture of it I think…