With This Click I Thee Wed - Opinion

Geeksugar featured this article on geek love entitled "With This Click I Thee Wed": Online Wedding. Apparently EverQuest II online gamers, Kelly Dane and Nathan Davalos, tied the knot in real life and in the game. Laptops were setup in the altar of their real life wedding for their avatars to share in their joyous union.

I was a role-playing addict for a couple of years in my misspent youth. I went so far as to date people from the online game, nothing that really worked in the long run, but some of my friends from the role-playing actually got married and had successful relationships afterwards. They kept their role-playing persona separate from their real life one, some completely stopped role-playing after they got married. I think people have to draw the line somewhere.

If it's a game, keep it that way. If you fall in love in the game, continue your relationship in real life. Face each other without your avatars/characters, which are often times enhanced versions of your self image.

Getting married in game and in real life, I would not recommend it, but if Kelly and Nathan are happy - best wishes to them. May they grow together to build a great relationship.

Need Help: First Chapters Writing Competition

I submitted my first completed manuscript in the First Chapters Writing Competition. I will need help because there are two ways to get to the next round of competition, the first is to be one of the ten editor's choices and the second is to get into the top 15 with the most number of people who rated your chapter as a 10.

Please read and rate the first chapter of my manuscript entitled Of Chains and Conquest:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977093703

A 10 rating is equivalent to one vote, voting for the first round of competition ends on September 18. Thank you very much in advance! I will be eternally grateful for your support.

Josh Groban's Concert - Simply Amazing!

The Honda Center formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim could not be more than 15 minutes away from our place in Orange, but getting there in the wake of a Josh Groban concert was a different story. When we had finally parked the truck and dashed into our seats, Angelique Kidjo had already started the party.

I must admit I had not heard of Angelique Kidjo until that night, but she was amazing! Her African/Cuban inspired dance music had the Josh Groban crowd dancing on their feet. The African rhythm was commercialized with Disney classics like the Lion King and I must admit that I have always found the beat catchy, but Angelique's music is just beautiful! It gets your feet tapping to the beat, it makes you want to move your shoulders and get up on your feet to join her fast dance onstage. I think it is safe to say that I will look for her cds the next time I am in a cd store. She was a wonderful act to open the night's show. And her duet with Josh Groban entitled, Pearls, was definitely one of my favorite songs of that night. Here is a slideshow I found in YouTube with pictures of Angelique and Josh Groban with the song Pearls in the background:

Lucia Micarelli blew our minds away with her violin solo that burst into a very passionate rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. She was beautiful onstage, with her black gown flowing as she played, she moved with the music and you could not help but watch her as she played. She entranced everyone with her moving performance. The concert would not have been as memorable if she hadn't played a part in it for sure. Josh mentioned that she has a new album out, I looked it up and the only cd of her I found in my favorite B&N store is Music in a Farther Room, but don't let me stop you from looking up her newer cd.

And, of course, it was Josh Groban that we came to see. I love his voice, he is my living testament to the fact that music is universal. Considering my husband asked me about five times that night what language his song was and five times I answered I didn't know, yet I loved the song just the same. He has the kind of voice that you just listen to, without needing to know what he's actually saying. I used to listen to singers who sang Spanish or Italian songs and just loved their songs even if I didn't understand them - but I must admit, except for Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban is the best I've heard so far.

And what was funny about watching him was realizing that though he sang songs that bordered on classical music, he wasn't actually a very formal person. In fact, he made the audience laugh all night, he was funny and entertaining to watch. Of course his fans completely inappropriate gifts of a giant fortune cookie, a cowboy hat and handcuffs helped set the tone of the evening. You could tell that his fans truly loved him, not in the groupie faint on stage hyperventilating way, but they truly admire what he does. One of the other gifts presented to him that night was a check for $5,000 for his foundation that helped children in Africa.

He told the audience about his trip to South Africa, about meeting Nelson Mandela, about being inspired by the country's music and culture. He even co-wrote a song with South African, Dave Mathews, called lullaby - it was a wonderful twist to a classic song - I'm not sure that it is even on his cd yet. He also sang a couple of songs from his Closer CD, Remember When It Rained and, my forever heart-wrencher, You Raise Me Up - that actually made my night all worth it!

And I couldn't exactly end my post without including a clip of Josh Groban singing You Raise Me Up, this is from an old Ellen Degeneres show also in YouTube:

Gourmet Pizza in Pasadena

How do you like your pizza? I personally prefer the pan pizza crust, I find most thin crust pizzas to be too salty. So I usually steer clear of places that serve these.

We took my husband's mother out to lunch today. My husband was curious about the California Pizza Kitchen about two blocks away from his mom's place. I remember that there was a restaurant with the same name in Alabang Town Center back in the Philippines. I never got the chance to try it though a few of my friends have recommended it.

We ordered a neapolitan pizza, which translated to a thin and crispy crust pizza. It was called Milan, had different types of Italian sausages in it and no tomato sauce. It was topped by different types of herbs. Delish! (To borrow Rachel Ray favorite expression.) Although it had a thin crisp crust, the crust was not too tough, it just crumbled when you bit into the pizza. The combination of the cheeses was not too salty. It was very tasty, it was not the usual salty sausage concoction. You could determine that it was a mix of spicy, sweet and very very scrumptious. I definitely recommend it.

Then my diabetic mother-in-law said she wanted ice cream so we shared a huge caramel sundae, which was basically three scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, caramel syrup, walnuts and a cherry on top. A summer favorite, especially in hot southern California.

I could tell that all three of us had a great time. From the mediterranean salad, the neapolitan pizza, the caramel sundae and the refreshing fruit-flavored iced teas, everything was just perfect! We're all looking forward to finding great places like these when we go on vacation to Lake Tahoe this Friday...

Online Media Has Arrived

MTV and MySpace.Com announced Thursday that they will be hosting one-on-one dialogues with all the presidential candidates. In a move to win the votes of the youth, presidential candidates will be going to campus auditoriums for this dialogue, accepting questions in real-time from an online audience watching MySpaceTV and MTV.

Recently CNN hosted a MyTube forum with the democratic candidates, which I enjoyed thoroughly. The fact that TV media is going out of their way to incorporate online media in these presidential forums is bringing our attention to how widely used these online applications are - so much so that they can make or break a presidential campaign!

Online Media has truly arrived! Gone are the days when the internet was an afterthought or bonus media, it has become one of the major players when it comes to communication and content distribution. Web 2.0 has helped the internet revolution where once there was only one-way distribution, today there is a plethora of ways to connect and share your insights online.

The rise of social networks like MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and Bebo probably had a lot to do with the success of online media and MySpace is the dominant social network in the US. In June 2007, comscore.com estimates that 114,147,000 unique visitors go to MySpace with an almost 50% lead on closest competitor, Facebook with 52,167,000 unique visitors that month.

It will be interesting to see how the presidential candidates woo their young voters. Will they be as evasive as they have been in the presidential debates? Will our young thinkers be able to get a rise out of the candidates enough to force them to discuss their platforms in depth? We will have to wait and see, I guess. I'm certainly looking forward to the experience!

Designer Tech Cases by Chloe Dao

Chloe Dao was the winner of the only Project Runway season I watched from start to finish. I loved her style from the start - ok, I may have been a little biased because she was Asian. But she was really good, she can take the clothes off her back and turn it into a truly designer dress. I loved her simple, elegant lines - she designed couture that you would actually wear. I am one of her biggest fans.

Geek Sugar featured her Gadget Case Line with Pacific Design. I love this laptop sleeve. It fits up to a 15.4 inch screen laptop, perfect for mine I think. Granted that my husband may not want to carry it for me if I put it in this bag, but hey, he liked Chloe's designs too!

It looks young and refreshing, I love the printed material she used. It was described as having a lot of pockets for organization - which I definitely need. And it's affordable at only $29.99, it's definitely a great buy in my opinion. Where to get it? It's available at Target, JC Penney, Circuit City, Radio Shack and Dell among other online stores and resellers.

Go Gretchen!

Footage showing former Philippine Basketball Association player Bong Alvarez throwing an elbow at ABS CBN reporter, Gretchen Malalad, was all over the Philippine media yesterday. Gretchen retaliated by hitting Alvarez over the head. The furious Alvarez grabbed Gretchen's hair and pulled at it with a vengeance. It took a couple of police officers to pull them apart.

Gretchen is filing assault charges against Bong Alvarez. The former basketball hotshot has been involved in numerous incidents of beating others, but beating a woman? Come on! His explanation was that he got mad because he had asked Gretchen not to put him in the news. It's her job, she's a reporter! What did he expect?

People deserve to know what a horrible person he is - so they can get out of the way when they meet him in the streets of Manila. I think Gretchen did the right thing, just because Alvarez was a basketball player probably with a good number of fans did not mean that he can bully anyone he wants. He has no right to physically abuse another human being - whether it is a man or a woman. I'm glad Gretchen stood her ground and fought for her rights. We need strong women like her in the limelight who will fight for justice. Go Gretchen!

Top Five Things on My Wishlist

1. To have our own home (fully paid up) in or near Orange, CA.
2. To be able to publish a lot of bestsellers


3. To be able study and obtain a degree in Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining.

4. To be able to travel around the world, especially to Europe.


5. To learn how to sew and be able to make my own draperies, bed ensembles, sleepwear, etc.

Greek: Outgrowing the One You Love

We were watching Greek last night and Casey had a line saying that, "Sometimes we outgrow the one we love." She was supposedly giving her roommate advice on her visiting boyfriend, Travis, but everyone knew she was thinking about her relationship with Cappie.

Evan, prince charming reincarnate by Greek standards, had just lavaliered her. This meant that they were announcing that they were a serious couple to everybody. Meanwhile Cappie had taken it upon himself to convince her that this was a bad idea. Cappie was Casey's first love, the stereotype bad boy who partied his way through college. Casey since the beginning of the season was torn between the two men.

She explains her choice - her picking the dashing yet really dull Evan - as having outgrown Cappie who seems to have no plans of ever graduating from college. Evan told her he planned to be a graduate of Harvard Law School in ten years, while Cappie told her he planned to be with Casey in ten years.

I don't think you can outgrow the man you love. He might be a bit more immature than you are. He might have more need for motivation than you do. But at the end of the day, wouldn't you rather be with someone who loves you rather than someone who will bury himself in his work and in his ambition?

I'm not saying that you always have to choose the bad boy without a direction. I'm saying you should follow your heart instead of following your ambitions and having major regret afterward. Why do you think the term desperate housewives got to be so interesting? Marrying money and success does not always cut it!

The Party That Lasted All Weekend

Last Saturday my favorite baby from church celebrated her first birthday at a clubhouse in Chino, CA. Her dad, who is serving in the military, is here on vacation and is having the time of his life partying with his family.

It was awkward walking into a room full of mommies and their kids, but pretty soon I saw a familiar face and started chatting. The kids were having a great time and they had so much food, it lasted til Sunday's after-game barbecue at their home.

The LA Chapter won both the women's volleyball and men's basketball games. Most of them headed to Chris' home where his brother-in-law cooked the rest of the barbecue from Saturday's party. Alexei and Anna started up the chocolate fondue again and we feasted on marshmallows, strawberries, green apples, pretzels and lady fingers coated in sinfully delicious chocolate while the boy had their beers.

The mommies congregated in the cozy living room and talked about their colorful experiences of pregnancies and giving birth. It was wonderful listening to all their stories, what was more interesting was the differences in generations. We had mommies whose daughters/sons already had children of their own in the conversation too. Time flew with all the stories. The kids stayed up way too late playing in the other room and the men were poking fun at one of their players who was an Aga Muhlach fan.

It was a natural follow up to the birthday party last Saturday. A relaxing night just sharing stories and being with friends. And I got to spend more time with my favorite baby, and did a bit of babysitting. Although I think I was the only wife there without a baby yet, I liked hearing their stories - and they weren't really scary because I already knew how hard it is to be pregnant and give birth from my cousins/aunts and friends in the Philippines. Don't worry, my time will come too - when God wills it.

Picture Trails of LA Chapter's Dinner Dance Party

I saw this Picture Trails slideshow on my friend's blog and I wanted to try it out. Here are pictures from the LA Chapter's Dinner Dance Party held on the last weekend of July at the residence of Kuya Willy Hernandez in Ontario, CA. Hope you like it!

Cool Slideshows

Hillsong's Rendition of How Great is Our God

Have you heard of GodTube? The owner of GodTube is coming to the Crystal Cathedral and will be a guest on the Hour of Power so I decided to look into the website. When I saw the channels they had I went directly to Christian Music. I then searched for the song we sang in the second before the last Ultreya we sang in.

I found this rendition by Hillsong:

We didn't have a full band, but we came pretty close to how the song was supposed to be sung - and we had better choreography - I think;)

Landslide

This song has been done by Stevie Nicks and, more recently, the Dixie Chicks. I loved this song the first time I heard it playing on the radio. Here are the song's lyrics:


I took my love and I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down



Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life



Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too
Well...



Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older, too
Well I'm getting older too



So, take this love and take it down
Year and if you climb a mountain and ya turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well maybe
Well maybe
Well maybe the landslide will bring you down


It took on a new meaning for me when I heard that the company my friend worked for closed down just this week. He's been going through a lot of tough times - it feels like a landslide just hit his life. He has been working in that company for 27 years and has been married 25 years - and those things that he has built his life around on is now being taken from him all at once. The good news is, he is getting absorbed into another printing company and I think in his heart he is still willing to work on his marriage.

I can't imagine how he must feel right now. And yet what can we do in times like these? We can pray, pray hard, trust God that He has a plan for your life. Ask for guidance and let God into your life.

Sometimes God showers us with so much blessings that we forget that these are just gifts from Him - we get wrapped up in ourselves, seeing only our part in our success and not God's. Sometimes we need reminding and then hopefully when God's plan showers us with blessings again - we will not forget that time when we had nothing. God provides, we just need to trust in Him and do our best to be the most pleasing person we can be in His eyes.

Are you scared of your life's landslide? I am, but I will keep praying and trusting that God has a plan for my life...

Wireless Networks, No Sweat!

I successfully installed my wireless router this morning. Woohoo! I would like to take full credit and attribute it all to that masteral class I took about such technologies, but I must admit it was quite easy to install. Good job, Netgear people! I just played their installation cd and it told me in words and graphics what I needed to do. I must say I felt really accomplished after I got my laptop into my network. For a technology, I never thought I'd install myself because I am a web programmer and not a network administrator, I was able to remember a few things from my MS IT days.

Have you ever gone to Best Buy or some other electronics store and encountered their very helpful staff? I know it's their job, but every time I buy electronic equipment there, these people always seem to think that I am completely clueless about these things. I probably know more about this router and computer networks than they do since I did take two 3-unit courses on networking. Maybe it was the skirt or my decidedly non-techie looking husband that got them to that conclusion, but I'm glad I decided to install my network myself - hey, $85 can be spent on a lot of other things like gas and food! So before succumbing to getting other people to install things for you, try to do so first - you might be surprised at what you can do yourself nowadays.

My home has a wireless network, it's a beautiful day!

The Fil-Am's Barong

The choir had to wear barong tops last night. I had told them I didn't have one, but apparently the very assertive members of the group really wanted to wear barongs. I had planned to just stay home and not sing at all, but then I remembered that one of my husband's pageant candidates had worn one of his old barongs to the pageant.

I rummaged through his closet and found the old garment and tried it on. It fit - to both our surprise! A lot of our friends said that it didn't look like a man's barong when I wore it - what do you know, a unisex barong - and we got through the performance without a hitch.

So in case you were wondering, what is a barong?

The Wikipedia states that:

A barong Tagalog (or simply barong) is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. It is very lightweight and worn untucked, similar to a coat/dress shirt. It is a common wedding and formal attire for Filipino men. The term "Barong Tagalog" literally means "Tagalog dress" (i.e., baro ng Tagalog or dress of the Tagalog) in the Filipino language.

In the US, Filipinos are very fond of wearing the modernized barong at formal gatherings. The barong has been customized in so many ways in the last few years because of this. There are formal dresses and gowns that are made from the same fabric as the traditional barongs. There are kimonas and a women's version of the barong that is becoming very popular in semiformal gatherings or as costumes for musical performances by Filipinos.

I know of at least three online stores that offer a very limited selection of these ensembles, barongsRus.com, barongatsaya.com and mybarong.com. They don't look like your grandfather's barong, but I guess innovation and creativity is an intrinsic part of the Filipino culture.

If only they will make them a little easier to wear in the summer months here in California, I will be most grateful!

Advice for an Ailing Marriage

Why do marriages fail? I always believed that it cannot be just one person's fault because it does take two people to have a relationship. I have always wondered at how couples stay together for more than ten years before realizing they're not meant to be together. Especially when they have sired children.

A friend of our is going through a very difficult time with his wife and I pray that we are able to help him. I have spent time with his wife, she seems to be a nice person. She works hard, takes care of her children and is a Marian devotee. But she seems to be very angry with her husband. She has told me how he treated her during the first years of their marriage, how demanding he was of affection and how he preferred that she stay at home to take care of their children instead of starting her own business. She seemed very angry at him for this. But she was also the first to acknowledge how much my friend had changed since that time. Yet she doesn't seem to like him more for changing, in fact I sensed that she hasn't forgiven him for what he had done before.

This latest falling out had started from a request from my friend to get him a pair of socks. It sounds so trivial, but I think it might have been the last straw with all the bitterness his wife had kept inside her. I know how it feels to keep such bitterness inside, I used to do it a lot when I was younger. But the bitterness eats you up inside, it corrupts your soul, you feel terrible no matter how hard you try not to. I found that it is easier to just let go. Let go of the bitterness, the anger, the hate. Only then can you truly move on. Only then can you truly heal yourself and your relationship.

I see that my friend tries to be a good husband. But he too expects affection in return, which because of his wife's bitterness she cannot return. She is an innately loving person - I have seen her loving ways directed toward her children and toward her siblings. It is sad that she cannot extend this love to her husband.

I sense that they love each other. There is just something they cannot get passed in their relationship. Maybe it is pride. Maybe it is forgiveness. I think only the two of them can understand why they are having such a hard time reconciling. I think the best advise I can give them is to try to make it work - because if one person stops trying, once one person gives up then it is all over - and twenty-five years is a long time to waste. Twenty-five years of marriage, could they have been miserable all that time? How could they have stayed together for so long if they had been?

My prayers are with my friend and his wife. May God guide them in this phase of their relationship. May they find the peace and love they crave in their marriage.

Choir Practice

My bestfriend once told me that singing is not a gift. You can get better at it if you sing a lot. Well, she would be really happy to know that I have given it a try. On certain Tuesday nights, my husband's church group sings in a sharing night which they call Ultreya.

This will be the second time I will be singing with them. The first was quite challenging since we had one afternoon's worth of practice and there was the song and the choreography to memorize. It turned out quite well although I must admit, I forgot some of the choreography then - I haven't participated in interpretative dance since I graduated high school over a decade ago!

We will be singing a very emotional medley this Tuesday, I looked up the lyrics of the songs and here are the two songs I found, complete with guitar chords:

KUNG 'YONG NANAISIN

Intro: GM7 F#sus - F#/A# - Bm - Bm/A - GM7 - A/G

F#m7 - Bm7 - Em7 - G/A D G/D D G/D

D Daug F#sus F#/A# Bm Bm/A
Kung 'Yong nanaisin, aking aakuin

GM7-A/G F#m7 Bm7 Em7 G/A
At b a b a l i k a t i n ang krus Mong pasanin

D Daug F#sus-F#/A# Bm-Bm/A
Kung 'Yong iibigin, iputong sa akin

GM7-A/G F#m7-Bm7 Em7 G/A
Koronang inangkin, pantubos sa akin

CHORUS

D G/D F#m7 Bm7
Kung pipiliin, abang alipin

Bm/A GM7 A/G F#m7 Bm7
Sabay tahakin, krus na landasin

Bm/A GM7 F#sus-F#/A# Bm Bm/A GM7
Galak ay akin, hapis ay 'di pansin

A/G F#m7-Bm7-Em7 G/A (D G/D D G/D)
Ang 'Yong naisin, s'yang susundin

D G/D F#sus-F#/A# Bm-Bm/A
Kung 'Yong hahangarin, Kita'y aaliwin

GM7-A/G-F#m7-Bm Em7 G/A
At kakalingain, lumbay papawiin
(repeat Chorus then Extro)

Extro: D G/D D CM7 D

I found this video on YouTube for our second song, "Huwag Kang Mangamba", performed by Himig Heswita. When I listen to it I feel like crying, it's so beautiful!

Huwag Kang Mangamba

INTRO: D - D/C# - Bm - Bm7 - G - D/F# - BbM7

KORO:
G/A hold D D/C# Bm Bm7 G D/F# Em
Huwag kang mangamba, -di ka nag-iisa

G/A D D/C# BmBm7 G - F#
Sasamahan kita, saan man magpunta

Bm Bm7 G Gm
Ika'y mahalaga sa 'King mga mata

G/A D D/C# Bm Bm7 G Em Asus A D-G/D-D
Minamahal kita, mina---mahal kita

Bm A/C#D
Tinawag kita sa 'yong pangalan

Em A D A/C#
Ikaw ay Akin magpakailanman

Bm,Bm7 G Em A
Ako ang Panginoon mo at Diyos

Em D Asus
Tapagligtas mo at Tagatubos (KORO)

Sa tubig kita'y sasagipin
Sa apoy ililigtas man din
Ako ang Panginoon mo at Diyos
Tapagligtas mo at Tagatubos (KORO)

I love singing Filipino songs. I miss the emotion, the words, the deep meanings... Wish us luck! Last practice is tonight:)

Weekend Together Time

Last Saturday my husband packed the toy I got him last Christmas into his truck and joined his fellow vigil adorers in helping our basketball team raise money for the sports fest registration fee. Unlike my coworkers' husbands whose toy store of choice is Best Buy or Circuit City, my husband's toy store is Home Depot. Last Christmas I got him a pressure washer and last Saturday he got to play with it in the church car wash fundraiser.

They got through around 20 cars. Washing and waxing, buffing and vacuuming the interiors. It was around 100 degrees Fahrenheit out in Ontario last weekend. But they raised half of the money they need.

I spent the day inside the house, helping watch my favorite baby. Her mom is the sister of our church group secretary and she's pretty cool herself. Her baby entertained us with her cute "beautiful eyes" and her antics as she explored the family room. She was one of those babies whose smile could help you forget all your worries and she's turning one this Friday. Happy Birthday, Frances!

The church group was entertained by the fact that I waited for my husband before eating lunch. Our married friends commented that when they first got married they were the same way. One even declared that she doesn't remember that they were ever like us. I think most of them thought we were sweet.

Of course there was the usual grilling about having a baby soon. I wish we did have a baby, but I enjoy our relationship now.

I think we need this time to ourselves to get to know each other better. We missed a lot of the courtship/dating phase because we had a long distance relationship. Now we can date and build our relationship. A lot of couples don't have that, they get sidetracked with kids and responsibilities. We have each other and for now, that will do.

The Benefits of a Semantic Web

My boss found a Semantic Web Strategies Conference in San Jose for the end of September and is considering sending me. Will it benefit us? That is the question.

It's been discussed as early as 2001, but implementation has been slow. With our redesign project looming in the horizon and a lot of coding anticipated, I think it is worth studying the semantic web. We need to know what technologies are up and coming, we need to study if we can adapt to the future.

With the goal of distributing our content as widely as possible, I think we should be ready to make our data as accessible as possible to future applications that need to access it. I think we should be as updated as we can be, because in our small religious niche, we are one of the most advanced in terms of web applications and I think we need to stay in the lead - especially in this transition phase our company is in. We must provide better services for our target market and we must provide up to date services to attract new donors. So I think we are headed in the right direction and I think we have a team that is more than capable of handling the next generation's internet.

So again, what is the semantic web?

"A new form of Web content that is meaningful to computers will unleash a revolution of new possibilities"

- Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler and Ora Lassila

Web 1.0 was described as being for scientists and the military to feed information to their constituents. It was a one-way transmission where experts in their respective fields posted information on the internet.

Web 2.0 is a social internet. Everyday people contribute content in different formats: video, blogs, tags. It is associated with the rise of social networks, the likes of Facebook, MySpace and Friendster. People have discovered that the internet is a very powerful means of communication and collaboration.

What comes next? World wide web creator Tim Berners-Lee is pushing for a semantic web. It will enable organizations to integrate data from different departments and systems allowing for team collaboration, improved customer care and support of executive goals. In a broader application, it will allow data to be readily available to different applications for wider distribution and use.

Where web 1.0 had HTML that formatted text and web 2.0 had css which separated formatting from content, web 3.0 will promote meaningful markup of content. Labeling content so that machines/applications will be able to easily access information. It's an ambitious undertaking, but I think it can be done. XML gave us the tools, now we must use them to build. Hopefully providing a better internet for our generation and the generations to come.

So do we need to start from ground up? (One of my boss' first questions for me.) In the article from Scientific American, cited above, it states that: "The Semantic Web is not a separate Web but an extension of the current one, in which information is given well-defined meaning, better enabling computers and people to work in cooperation." That's good news for web developers - we already have the backbone in web 2.0, in css, xhtml, etc.