Web 1.0 thru 3.0
The evolution of the web has expanded the tool chest available for e-therapy; services once provided by email are now available with VoIP, and tools include e-Journaling, White Boards and Second Life. The landscape has changed and there are more opportunities for creative input. But with the development of Web 3.0, there are more possibilities for compromised security and encroachments on privacy.
That the Web has constantly been evolving since its’ inception is obvious. The brief summary below is to provide context for understanding where current technologies used for 
online counseling interface with this evolution.
Web 1.0 was about accessing and finding information very easily, e.g., Google, Ebay and Amazon. Initially the internet was nothing more than a huge number of HTML pages. It was like a big library containing a vast number of books, where users could get information from, but contribute nothing.
A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact with each other and generate content in a virtual community. Examples include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, RSS and Twitter.
Web 3.0 Present and Future
- Virtual Reality: The concept of virtual worlds, where users interact in simulated environments, is not new. Probably the most famous virtual world is Second Life. Launched in 2003, it had 18 million user accounts by 2010.
- Web Personalization: The web will be a more personalized experience, including virtual ‘personal agents’ that will learn from experience just as people do. Achieving this personalization will require more information about individuals to be stored online, and this may lead to privacy issues.
- The Pervasive Web: A Web that’s everywhere is the basic concept behind the Pervasive Web. The Web is increasingly being used on mobile phones. On the Pervasive Web cars, kitchen appliances, televisions, even mirrors and clothes, will be connected and able to share information.
