The World Wide Web has just turned 20! Within this short span of time, it has caused one of the most
significant and influential revolution of modern times; its influence has impacted almost every aspect
of our life and activities and almost all fields, irrevocably. And, in the past few years, it has evolved
quite rapidly into Web 2.0, Web 3.0, and so on, forging many new applications that were not previously
feasible. The Web has also caused paradigm
shifts and transformational changes in business, social
interaction, governance, and education, among others. The Web’s evolution continues, and there is no
sign of it stopping.
And, we are yet to discover and exploit the Web’s full potential. Perhaps we might not realize its
full potential soon, as we don’t yet know what its full potential is. And, its potential is expanding in
unanticipated directions. But what we can say is the Web’s future is very bright, and its influence on us
would be much greater than what it has been.
This book is a humble attempt to present Web’s evolution in the recent years and portray its major
influences in different areas, and to look at the phenomenal evolution of Web from different perspectives
– technological, business, and social, comprehensively and holistically. The book outlines new
generation Web – Web 2.0, 3.0, and X.0 – and its applications, both existing and emerging, and how they
are transforming our lives, work, education, and research. The book also presents some interesting new
research that helps us in creating new kinds of applications that were unimaginable before.
This Handbook of Research on Web 2.0, 3.0, and X.0: Technologies, Business, and Social Applications
is a comprehensive reference that explores the opportunities and challenges the new generation of
Web technologies and applications present, illustrated with real world examples and case studies, and
examines the technical, social, cultural, and ethical issues these applications present.
We believe the handbook provides valuable insights for further research on new generation Web
technologies, applications, and social issues. We hope this book fulfills its major objective of being an
excellent resource for researchers, academics, and professionals seeking to explore the issues and emerging
trends in Web and Web-based applications. The book also serves as reference for senior graduate
students who want to get a glimpse of emerging new applications and garner some new ideas that they
might want to pursue further.
To help you easily navigate this volume, next, let me give you a peek into the handbook.