Let’s start at the beginning. What’s Web 2.0? You’ve almost certainly heard the term before in your readings, in the boardroom, and around the water cooler. It’s been on the tips of people’s tongues for years now – even though it seems a lot of people are unsure of what exactly it means. Whether you can explain the term or not, the fact is we’re getting to the point where some pundits are even saying the Internet has moved out of the 2.0 landscape and into the next phase of the Internet revolution – Web 3.0.

The Skinny

While it’s not perfectly obvious what these terms stand for, what is 100% clear is that the Web is changing faster than anyone can foresee, making it one of the single greatest new frontiers of human communication in human history, and “Web 2.0 and “Web 3.0″ are important parts of how we define and understand that process of change.

What’s Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 has been a reality for awhile now. Web 2.0 is defined by social networking and increased levels of engagement and user interaction with the Internet. In theory it’s more democratic, helpful, responsive, and useful than the original Web ever was. And it isn’t just a fancy academic term either. Over the years it’s put some meat on the bone.

In today’s online world there are clear examples to support the claim that Web 2.0 is in full effect. Take for example social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other popular platforms. The existence of these are all strong proof that social structures and behaviors are permeating the once highly-mechanical and rudimentary framework that characterized the early days of the Internet.

When the term Web 2.0 burst onto the scene in the early two thousands, it meant little more than an idea about how the Internet would become more like our everyday lives, with higher levels of participation and interaction. Nowadays the term Web 2.0 encapsulates the culture of social media participation itself.

The War For Web Territory

Web 2.0 is generally considered the idealistic enemy of over-the-top, in-your-face banner ads and scrumbly marketing websites of all ilk around the globe. Think of Web 2.0 as an army of quality content and genuine human interaction tools battling bravely against all-out guerilla marketing and advertising in the war for control of the vast territory that is today’s Internet.

On the one side you have warriors of substantive, quality driven content and interaction who want to use the Internet to practice the freedoms of open communication and free sharing of information. (In some ways Google has become the Big Brother enforcer of this particular side of the argument.)

On the other side you have the online marketers and advertisers who want to lather the page with ads, offers, incentives, and branding that never ends.

What Does This Mean For Affiliate Marketers?

Not to say that affiliate marketers are on the way out by any means. There’s actually more opportunity for online business now than ever before. What it does mean, however, is that affiliate marketers who want long term success are going to have to adapt to the way they market to their prospects.

Gone are the days of clunky, grammar-handicapped, GIF-saturated sites and kinder-styled landing pages with bad electronic music bleeping in the background (much to our dismay!). The early days of Net style have already become the fodder for too many office jokes to count.

Design sense and social savvy are now key factors in building successful campaigns that CONNECT to the users emotions and interactive sensibilities. Afffiliate marketers in a Web 2.0 world have to offer real value (i.e., original content) to their consumers, not just cheap short-term solutions.

Luckily, in the end it seems Nature manages to strike a balance between the two forces of quality vs. profit, and what you get is a charging juggernaut called Web 3.0.

What’s Web 3.0

Web 3.0 is a term that’s recently entered the digital conversation. Essentially it’s the next projected future destination of the online environment; what’s anticipated to be a continued move toward greater social integration of social media channels – one that allows users higher levels of inclusiveness, all-in-one usability, and the interlinking of various online personas into a single cohesive identity.

Web 3.0 also means a stronger sense of online community with lots of cool new tools to use. It means an environment where advertisers are more in synch with the consumer. So if effective advertising truly is the skilled dissemination of information, then Web 3.0 is the raddest thing to be ONLINE.

Online users and consumers want just a few simple things, whether it’s Web 3.0 or Web 250.0. They want to find what they’re looking for, get solutions to whatever problems they’re having quickly, easy access to helpful information, and a chance to experience adventures into the world of online fascination and inspiration (this is shaping up to be primarily online video sharing).

New internet uses don’t mind spending money, as long as it’s justified. They don’t just want you to sell them something, they also want you to entertain them and add value to their lives while you’re doing it (BTW – That’s where quality content becomes so critical).

That means there’s a ton of fierce competition online, and those who differentiate themselves by providing the very best content will be better positioned to capture sales in the world of Web 3.0. More integrated, more responsive, and more socially savvy than ever before.

Here are a few of the choices available to affiliate marketers today to usher their business into the future:

• Blogs
• Micro-blogs
• Social networking sites
• Social bookmarking sites
• Article marketing
• RSS/Atom feeds
• Forum participation 
• Submitting reviews to other sites
• YouTube videos
• Photo-sharing sites
• Pay-per-click advertising on search engines
• Online stores
• Free autoresponder ezines
• Local directories

Start looking into some of these strategies and test out how they might help you gain the competitive edge of 3.0. Until next time, the Internet is a community of the brightest minds, so market to them that way!