Are you ready for the Semantic Web?
While it was envisioned 15 years ago by none other than the inventor of the web (Tim Berners-Lee), very few marketers understand the implications of the semantic web. The semantic web ties each data item on the web to other data items of like kind, regardless of their location. So, instead of having to wade through search results, the semantic web will automate the assembly of data items that are somehow tied together.
For example, if you're interested in how to best sell a car, today you will receive thousands of search results. In the semantic web, those data items and documents will be assembled in a single, convenient collection of all relevant references.
The question for marketers is - how will this impact how and where you market? The semantic web could (hypothetically) eliminate / replicate the benefits of social networks and cut them out of the equation by enabling your personal information to be available to others without someone having to be "a friend". It will certainly change online search, and likely change the market share of the current leaders as new players emerge.
If you run a website, and/ or use your website for marketing you need to envision a world of open, linked data - linked in a way that you haven't anticipated or designed your site for. At the very least, you should be aware of this oncoming change in the web so you aren't caught flat-footed.
Have you thought about the implications? Do you have an sense for how soon it will impact us marketers?
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