Real Time Web

This morning, I was waiting for an oil change on my car and instead of looking at those mind numbing magazines and drinking mechanic shop coffee, I went to the nearby B&B cafe. It has wireless, so I answered work email, chatted with a colleague and played a word game with about 50 strangers (all 50 at once) all on a device that fits in my pocket.

My work calendar, folders, email accounts all sync so that I have upto date information wherever there is wireless. I can also check my geo-location, the world clock, the stock market, the weather report, etc. I can work, talk and play with others, all in "real time," immediately and publicly. In a coffee shop.

Technology blog ReadWriteWeb, (syndicated by the NYT) is hosting a Real-Time Web Summit. Today! Many industry leaders are there (Google, Yahoo!, etc). They are streaming some sessions live and also have a Twitter feed on their website. This is about stuff like video conferencing, chatting, interactive apps, things that allow users to interact online at the same time, to be co-present, and to have immediate and shared data.

Here is a blurb about the keynote address by Marshall Kirkpatrick:

"Marshall stressed the fact that real time doesn't just mean speed but also creates value by including presence data, flow and data syncing. All of this, according to Marshall, will lead to radical changes in how users will experience the Web in the near future."

read more about the keynote on ReadWriteWeb