Web 2.0:
HTML, as we know it, was mostly developed as a display specification. Google and the powers that be came in with HTML5 and tried to searchify HTML, but the reality is that the bread and butter of the web is going to be the HTML/CSS + JavaScript sandwich for at least the next few years.
RSS has fallen by the wayside, however XML is still a great format for displaying structured data. What we need is a social markup language, which goal is not presentation but data transmission. This will solve the following problems inherently:
- The social boom/bust treadmill that has been going on since 2000. Adopt the Automattic business model and watch the Internet thrive.
- The 'social search' problem.
- The conflict of interest caused by trying to monetize the network effect.
In addition, it will allow people to digest social content in the way they want to, using nearly any format, and decoupling the social experience of the web from HTML. It will create clear channels for data interchange, allowing for actual privacy but also the controlled, transparent, and empowered sharing that users deserve.