Future of webpages - Networking on each & every webpage

Currently, most of the webpages are static entity. They just display statically display the text/image content with some formatting. That has been the case for last one decade. More and more content is pouring into the webpages but the webpages have remained static in nature which just shows text/image data. Is that the future of webpages.

I believe not!! In next 2-4 years (if not earlier) the webpages will become a lot more collaborative in nature. People will be able collaborate directly from within the webpages. Some steps are already being taken in that direction. One can embed the chat programs (like Google Talk ) directly into the webpage. These gadgets allow the webpage viewer (WV) to login and see how is online and chat directly from there within. Yet, these widgets are limited in nature and (as far as my research and extent of knowledge goes) these gadgets do not provide the webpage owner (WO) to retrieve the information from these chat gadgets.

The real value in collaboration would only be unlocked if the Webpage owner (WO) can retrieve some basic information from webpage viewer (WV). For example, let us say, if the webpage owner can query the webpage viewer for his chat id or profile info, then the webpage owner can create more relevant information. For example, (s)he can tell the webpage viewer,

1. What interests they share (like iLike, etc.)
2. What are different artifacts they have collaborated on earlier
3. How are they connected (Linkedin, Facebook, Orkut, etc.)
4. Show, if the webpage owner is online. Further provide a mechanism for anonymous chatting without the need for adding to your friends list.
5. Geographically how far they are
6. Timezone difference
7. What both of them have they looked earlier
8. The hosting company can provide even more relevant personalized digital advertizing
9. The webpage viewer can see published docs for webpage owner and vice versa

The use cases are again numerous. At this time, I dont know the business ROI for each use case, but I have the feeling it will be good.

Okay, so far so good. What has to change for that

1. These chat widgets have to provide a mechanism for querying the username and profile (necessary)
2. An anonymous way for querying for the friends list (optional)
3. These gadgets have to evolve or provide a simpler interface to just show if the webpage owner is online. Maybe also show who else is online.

Okay, so far so good. What will be the societal impact. Or how will it change the people and their behavior

1. People will be forming ties and relationships a lot more faster than usual. In today's world, the social networking is mostly limited to people you have met face to face. I believe, this will invigorate the persistent virtual networking. Dont even ask me about that term. I just coined it :).
2. Will make it a lot easier for people to share their contexts. Currently, for every context you have different social networking site (for example, professional networking - LinkedIn, Personal Friend Networking - Orkut, General Networking - FaceBook & MySpace, Music - iLike, etc.). I would like to share my context with a person with whom I am talking more than a person who is just an entry in my database.
3. It will also make collaboration also easier for wrong-doers. Programming wrong-doers can be controlled by image password verification mechanism. But, then there are a others also.
4. Better collaboration. A collaboration mechanism where there already exists a context for collaboration.

What steps in the same direction:

1. Google talk gadget can be embedded in any webpage (Link). Now, it is not an exe file which needs to be explicitly downloaded. Similar to Gtalk gadget, there are bulletin board widgets like ShoutBox, Freeshoutbox.net, etc.
2. Google Open Social is another step in this direction.
3. I know people in IBM research has also been thinking on that lines. But it is still not a corporate initiative. Unfortunately it has not even become the IBM LotusSphere or IBM Connects offering.
4. I am sure, if I can, then a lot of other people are thinking on the same lines. Open Social and Google talk gadget are steps in that direction.
5. Unfortunately, I don't know or haven't seen any such initiatives by MSN, Yahoo, or AOL.

Yeah, there are a lot of other possibilities to this idea. Surprisingly, I haven't seen any startup firm which is thinking on similar lines. I believe, the strengths and opportunites outweigh the threats and weaknesses by leaps.