Topic: The Internet and the World Wide Web

Bran Ferren believes that there are still many things that 'suck' in Web 2.0 but that many of these will suck a lot less by the time we reach Web 3.0. In a stimulating short talk from this year's Web 2.0 conference, Ferren explains why he believes the computer revolution has not yet started. [Web 2.0 audio from IT Conversations]

What would it be like if the internet were a 3D immersive experience, if browsing the internet felt like walking down the street in a virtual town? In this introduction to the Exploration sessions at Accelerating Change 2005, Jerry Paffendorf discusses the convergence of 3D modelling and internet interactivity. Programs like Google Earth and games like Second Life offer a glimpse of what the internet may be in the future. [Accelerating Change Audio from IT Conversations]

Owning 34 Internet brands offers as many opportunities for failure as for success. In a freewheeling and provocative conversation, Barry Diller - legendary media mogul, chairman of Expedia and CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp - explains his own recipe for success and speculates about the future of business on the Internet. [Web 2.0 audio from IT Conversations]

The internet is increasingly becoming the first place most people turn to for information, including local material. The large players and independent companies are taking the local search market by storm, with new offerings and applications. John Battelle moderates this panel discussion about the current state of local search and the possibilities for the future. [Where 2.0 audio from IT Conversations]

As the internet becomes a greater factor in our day-to-day lives, the role of all forms of media is rapidly changing. Dan Gillmor leads a diverse group of entrepreneurs to discuss the evolution of the internet from a platform for text and pictures into a platform for every sort of media. [Supernova 2005 audio from IT Conversations]

Some controversy surrounds the concept of blogging for business; many businesses are either unaware of blogging as a business tool or think there is no value in the time and effort spent in blogging. At the 2005 BlogHer conference, Lisa Meyers Brown of the American Cancer Society, Susan Getgood of Getgood Strategic Marketing, Mary Smaragdis of Sun Microsystems, and Christine Halvorson of Stonyfield Farms discuss the value of blogging to companies of all types and their experience with blogging at these widely diverse companies. [BlogHer 2005 audio from IT Conversations]

The internet offers a degree of freedom unlike any space in the physical world. When you come across something on the internet you dislike, you simply move on. In this conversation with Esther Dyson, participants in the Accelerating Change 2005 conference discuss the unique problem of internet regulation in this climate of freedom. [Accelerating Change Audio from IT Conversations]

At Google, engineers and researchers are not two different groups of people. Engineers research products and researchers build products; their functions overlap. At ETech 2005, Google's Director of Search Quality, Peter Norvig, speaks about how this helps Google increase the interactivity of search tools and relevancy of search results using products such as Google Sets and Google Suggest. [ETech 2005 audio from IT Conversations]

With every passing day, it feels like the world is getting smaller and smaller. We have the ability to share photos and ideas with anyone in the world almost instantly, and the tools to find cheap gasoline on the road. Peter Barrett from Microsoft's IPTV and Scott Rafer of Wireless Ink talk about how people and technology create and foster community. [Accelerating Change Audio from IT Conversations]

What is the social web? According to John Clippinger in his talk at Supernova 2005 it's about creating new ways to help link people, organizations and concepts in a trusted way. Using multidisciplinary analysis and open source software developed by his organization, SocialPhysics.org, he explores new ways for "digital individuals" to interact. [Supernova 2005 audio from IT Conversations]