During a press briefing in Seoul, Google’s Eric Schmidt was asked about the flavors of today’s evolving Web, specifically Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. Before describing Web 2.0 as a “marketing term” and distilling it down to AJAX, Schmidt told the reporter, “as far as Web 3.0, I think you just invented the term.”

Apparently Schmidt’s oversimplification of Web 2.0 has folks amused. I noticed several Twitters ( or is it Tweets?)  within the hour of posting this poking fun at Schmidt’s take.

And while it’s obvious AJAX  improves the way we interact with content on the web, it’s just technology. Web (whatever the number) dot oh won’t be remembered under the brand of any technology. It’ll be remembered in terms of our collective experiences. I can see the nostalgic headlines already, “Web 2.0, The Era We Made Contact” or “Web 2.0, The True User Experience.”

Schmidt went on to guess at what the next rev of the Web might bring, essentially describing a world of lightweight mashups accessible on any device and pulling the their data from “the cloud.” He finished by predicting the applications would be distributed virally, through social networks, email, and other forms of electronic communications.

Seen first @ Read/Write Web..YouTube posting by KoreaCrunch

Yesterday’s BusinessWire breakfast was proof that some PR firms do get it. It also proved if the jury’s still out on their capabilities, they’re plugging in the right people to execute. Enter Waggener Edstrom and their new digital duo Jim Olson and David Almacy. Both were asked by BusinessWire to host their so-called “wireside” chat about PR in the Digital Age. I actually Twittered some of the session from my Blackberry Pearl, at one point looking up during a post as Almacy remarked that, “some of you might be Twittering this presentation right now.” I looked up to see a bunch of blank stares. Oh well, nice try David.

Olson, a big brand guy and former VP at Overture, kicked off the discussion with his list of digital trends. One of the things he confirmed was what we’re all seeing happen in front of us — video. As he put it, the web now is in full motion and has a voice. Video is mainstream.

( Jim Olson and David Almacy | Pics taken by Blackberry Pearl)

The second point was the broad notion of “interactivity“, where users are now part of the mix — like it or not. Citing the oft-used citizen journalism term, Olson explained how media companies have had to rethink the way news is produced and delivered.

Individual Addressability was another term Olson used to describe the ability to tailor content to the right constituents. This is a big one in a lot of ways. It brings the Long Tail into the fold and helps all of us get a clearer picture of the impact of our marketing and advertising spend. Olson quoted the old advertising saying, “I know half my advertising dollars are wasted - I just don’t know which half!” Well folks, that’s a changing. And that’s the lure of content with digital DNA.

The last few points dealt with the potential ramifications of a growing global internet community and the proliferation of mobile devices. On the former, Olson pointed to statistics showing how China will soon surpass the U.S. with more than 200M internet users. The numbers aren’t so surprising for a country of more than a billion, but the message was more about preparation. Think about the challenges (cultural, technological) that poses for U.S. marketers. Olson was dead on titling the slide, “The Revolution is not being televised.”

The last digital piece he dissected was the mobile movement, drawing a definitive stake in the sand by proclaiming, “Mobile is the new PC”. He reminded us more than half the planet’s mobile devices are in developing countries. A fitting end to his pitch was a quote from GE’s CEO - “I want my communicators to be role models for creativity and innovation.”

David Almacy took the floor next with a little faster tempo. A well-traveled political advisor and former web guru for the White House, Almacy came across as part geek and part strategist. That’s just what the Doctor ordered for the big PR agencies being called on by the big brands.

His White House 2.0 discussion was fascinating. It’s daunting to even think of developing a Web 2.0 strategy for the leader of the free world. Even more interesting was hearing Almacy talk about the early backlash from the President’s office when he launched the first Presidential podcasts. Once the first distasteful threads started to bubble up, he was asked to remove the content from iTunes. But in true web evangelist form, Almacy stuck to his guns, finally winning out after the comments evened out with an acceptable positive and negative mix.

I told my colleagues, we can’t take the podcast down, we’re on the front page of iTunes!

The other thing Almacy knifed through was the bevy of social media tools and services. He obviously caught me nodding as he rattled off all the newest Web 2.0 kids on the block, everything from Digg to Twitter and Pownce. The takeaway though wasn’t being jargon-capable, it was more about curiosity and exploration. As he put it..

I only have a few Tweets out there but I had to see what it was all about. 

And that’s really the sense I got from yesterday’s event. There was a lot of tire-kicking, a lot of curiosity, and heck of a lot of passion. It was apparent the room was full of communicators trying to keep a foothold on the shifting ground beneath them.

Sounds like the iPhone’s got all the bells and whistles and as expected, a striking design. Read about it at PCWorld.

Besides the steep price for most real smartphones, I think complexity still drives away most consumers.  The real question becomes, how smart can your average user make the smartphone after the purchase? Can you really rely on users to to point to an Exchange server, load Skype, or upgrade their instant messaging (IM) software? Add the fact that a lot of smartphones just aren’t very good phones to begin with and it makes the concept of a smartphone nice, but still daunting to most.

I bet if I configured GMail, gave you mobile access to XM radio, and a mobile RSS reader you’d say, WOW that’s a smartphone!

But even with complicated interfaces and bloated software, smartphones sales are growing steadily. In fact, according to eMarketer, the NPD Group says the US  is actually experiencing a ”growth spurt” in the smartphone market. 

And with all that growth comes plummeting prices. Case in point. It was less than a year ago that I dropped almost 5 bills, (yep $500) on one of the early smartphones. I think back then “smart” just meant it ran Windows and had WiFi. Same phone now? Couple hundred bucks. Upgrade anyone?

One tidbit from the report caught my eye.

“Smartphone users spent an average of $6.31 per month for wireless data in the third quarter. By comparison, owners of all types of mobile phones spent just $0.89.”

What I’m a little unsure of is how anyone manages to get any work done with $6.31 of downloaded data. I guess the $0.89 is a few text messages and a quickly downloaded weather forecast? Trust me, you can’t get much content these days without forking over $30-40 bucks for an unlimited data plan. But most consumers ( including myself) think data plans are too expensive. In fact, analyst firm IDC said recently that 73 percent of us think that way.

More importantly I think, you can see why the smartphone user is so coveted. They’re the ones looking at the mobile banner ads, receiving text messages, and using location-based GPS services to get to their next watering hole. That translates to disposable income. And it translates to dollar signs for advertisers and marketers. 

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking you have plenty of time before the armies of crackberries (blackberrys) and smartphones begin accessing your website or blog. I wouldn’t be so sure. Speedy connections on handheld devices and phones are becoming cheaper and more ubiquitous everyday.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been headed to a meeting and wanted to get some last minute tidbits on a company’s products or services, only to find their website was horribly formatted for mobile access. Very frustrating. And frustration leads to a quick exit when the technically-adept have a bad experience. And who wants to miss out on a marketing opportunity?

My recommendation? Give your users some options when it comes to mobilizing your content. And let the big dogs handle the conversion and optimization, they’ve already jumped through the technical hoops and figured out the demographics. The value of these providers is enabling you to be a publisher.

As far as options go, take a look at hubdog and winksite for ideas. I used both services to create mobile versions of a few of my sites — just click on the logos to see previews of both services.

[hubdog and winksite are two ways to make sure your content is viewable on mobile devices.]