Semantic Web in the Not So Distant Future

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

Recently, I had an interesting conversation with a colleague in the automobile technology industry about the future of the web and social tools and what that would mean for car makers. It got me thinking. The semantic web started as a "trip down the rabbit hole" as one friend put it, but as technology progresses, I think that the reality is becoming more clear and hitting close to home.

Let me begin by explaining what I mean by semantic web. Technology can be used to interpret personal interest data and predict your needs. This is happening already in technologies such as Sony's TiVo — which predicts what shows you might want to record — or Pandora, which determines what music you might like to hear based on your listening patterns. These technologies essentially "learn" about your likes/dislikes based on a series of algorithms and make decisions based on those results.

In the auto industry, tools like Ford's SYNC can already connect you with personalized traffic reports and GPS. How long until SYNC learns your interests and can not only make recommendations but also link to your SYNC "friends" in order to make accommodations for everyone? Sort of a mobile concierge?

And as social networking grows along with our desire to share our interests with the world, it will become much easier for companies like Facebook and MySpace to compile this data to share with other companies.

So, while you ponder the future of the web, social media and technology in what seems like a distant future scenario, try to understand that the future might come sooner than you think.

Beth J. Bates consults with Hinge on social media tool selection and strategy and helps its clients find effective ways to leverage these new mediums to meet business goals.