If I had a nickel for every time someone cried that the sky was falling due to technology, I would not only be fabulously wealthy, but the envy of every ex-analyst-come-strategist-product-developer....

On the eve of this Thanksgiving 2006, I feel it is appropriate to pause and give thanks to the technologies that make my life, well, not only tolerable, but more importantly, interesting.

According to an article in The New York Times this weekend, we have graduated to yet another level of the Web. It is called Web 3.0, and it is being germinated by the likes of IBM, Amazon, Google and others who are searching for greater meaning from the vast expanse of content on the Internet.

I had the pleasure of moderating a panel this morning on Web 2.0 Video, where the buzz was about user-generated content, new technologies and tools that allow people to upload and publish. As the moderator, I was tasked with making this event as entertaining and informative as possible; but as an analyst, strategist and technologist, I am going to have to say that despite great-looking user interfaces and well-thought-out pitches, we are far from the promised land.

What is the nature of the relationship between consumer and technology? Well, at its very essence I would propose that it is a value exchange. And in order to derive the value, you need to get the consumer to cooperate by trying or adopting the technology, right?