There was a feeling, during the dot.com bust in the year 2000, that the web was over.
It wasn’t.
Back then, the web had only just begun.
There’s a feeling again now, with a few tech giants mediating so much of what we do online, that the web is all tied up.
It isn’t.
Even now, the web has only just begun.
Welcome to Tangled Web
I’m Mark Jeffery, founder of the Open Web Mind, and creator of Tangled Web.
That’s three names you’ve probably never heard before.
Since I’m just starting out here, let me explain each of the three.
Lightning round:
Who is Mark Jeffery?
What is the Open Web Mind?
And what is Tangled Web?
Mark Jeffery? Never heard of him
I’m just some guy on the web.
My life has been a bit all over the place. I have to censor different lines of my CV depending on who’s asking. But since it’s you, let me throw it all out there:
Places? London. Antarctica. India. Canada.
Professions? Coder. Author. Meteorologist. Paramedic. Instructor. Inventor. Globemaker.
Fields? Physics. Furniture. Film. Aviation. Photonics. Manufacture. Healthcare. Energy. Education. Craft. Tech.
So... if you’re looking for narrow focus, you’ve got the wrong guy.
For current purposes, however, I’m just some guy who wants to revolutionize the web.
What is the Open Web Mind?
It’s how I’m revolutionizing the web.
The Open Web Mind is shared human intelligence.
Concepts are connected in the Open Web Mind in the same way as in the neural networks of the human brain. You’ll be able to flow from concept to concept in a way that’s more like thinking than reading.
It’s not artificial intelligence, it’s human intelligence.
Creators will use it to generate content. Coders will use it to build products. Eventually, everyone will use it to search, discover and think.
The Open Web Mind is an open protocol that anyone can follow. It can be implemented with free software that anyone can copy, study and adapt, for any purpose.
Welcome to humanity’s mind.
What is Tangled Web?
Tangled Web is a conversation about where we’re going with the web.
I believe that the web will continue to evolve exponentially for decades to come.
I believe that the future web will be more free, more open and more human than ever.
I’m not interested in the latest B2B startups. If your SaaS is going to transform the lives of mortgage brokers or customs brokers or insurance brokers through streamlined processes, I’m sorry, but I don’t care.
I’m not interested in the latest B2C trends, either. If the new feature being released by Twitter or Snapchat or Clubhouse or TikTok is going to transform the relationship between celebrities and consumers, I’m sorry, but I still don’t care.
I’m not interested in how many millions were raised by the latest tech startup.
I’m not interested in how many billions were raised in the latest tech IPO.
I’m not interested in how many trillions the tech corp formerly known as Facebook is now worth.
I just don’t care.
I’ll be focusing instead on tech transformations that could change everything.
Things like metaverse, VR, AR, APIs, bots, machine learning, the creator economy, the passion economy, indie hackers, no-code, the future of work, crypto, blockchain, NFTs, all things distributed, all things open, all things free.
Along the way, I’ll be talking about the Open Web Mind, which I believe will be part of how we break free from closed networks and connect with each other directly.
Tangled Web is a newsletter, a podcast and a YouTube channel.
Whether you prefer to read, listen or watch, subscribe now at tangledweb.media for web inspiration every week.
Remember, the web has only just begun.