Web Directions Year round learning for product, design and engineering professionals

In the areas that interest you about the web, what has changed the
most in the last couple of years, and what do you see changing most
in the next couple?

The biggest change I have been noticing on the web is a change of its usage.
The web has been shifting from a destination spot to a container and content
terminal (like a train station). The increased use of RSS/ATOM and other
feeds has created a transition for how people find and consume information.
Digital content creators are realizing that the web is just one medium to
hold content and it is increasingly the jumping off point and the
place of permanence that is pointed to. People consuming a site’s content
may read it on their mobile device in an RSS reader, but when the
information is shared and pointed to, it is the web pages for the content that
are the end point. This shift requires well structured pages that can be
easily parsed and reconfigured. Standards compliant pages can be parsed
mechanically with a script and ported to another format that meets the needs
of the person consuming the information.