Much as I hate all this 2.0 and 3.0 business, it does seem to have entered the popular vernacular, so what can you do? Just as every scandal has “-gate” rudely appended, we’re obviously stuck with these and can’t do much bur grin and bear it.

That aside, I was listening to Cameron Reilly’s G’Day World podcast - actually a personal favourite of mine. Cam also runs the TPN Network, which has some great podcasts and he has recently made the decision to leave Australia and move to California in search of funds. So good luck Cam and if you’re a VC, I’m sure I can make an intro for you. Any entrepreneur who has enough faith in his abilities to move his family to another continent is going to succeed - or die doing it - and that’s the kind of guy you want to have running one of your portfolio companies. Shame about the sunnies.

Anyway, Cam was talking about the Digital Hollywood conference in LA at the moment and made some interesting points, that are worth debating a little. Cam was reporting what others were saying, so these aren’t necessarily his opinions.

Firstly, what would Web 3.0 look like? Well, it seems to be the opinion of the great and the good that it would involve integration between the mobile web and the PC web. Hurray - at last mobile seems have reached the conscious of the West Coast techie, or some of them at least.

I certainly believe that we’re going to see some very exciting developments in the next two years as companies get with the programme and start building out mobile websites. If this is your business, or could be your business, start evangelising and selling your mobile web building prowess now.

Cam seemed to be under the impression that not many people were using the mobile web currently. Hmmm, it might be an age thing - as I wrote yesterday this is a mainstream phenomenon and I know it’s big in Australia too from AdMob stats.

The other consensus that seems to be emerging is that while people expect the web to deliver everything for free, when people access it on their phones they’ll expect to pay for the same thing. Maybe, this would allow web companies like You Tube to monetise the mobile channel, the thinking goes.

Heavens knows where this thinking started. Sure, people pay for mobile handsets and a package for voice and sms and maybe even some data costs. But that’s like buying a PC and paying for Internet access. Now, historically, some people have also paid for ringtones, though that market seems to be shrinking. And they pay for games, just like on the PC. But thereafter, I see little evidence that people will start saying “Well, of course, if I do something on my mobile, I’ll happily pay through the nose, even though I’ve grown used to it being completely free elsewhere”.

This isn’t going to work, particularly in the youth markets who are the early adopters here. Kids don’t see any different between using their phone and the PC and woe betide you if your business model makes this unfounded and unproven assumption. They’re going to expect it for free and if you don’t it to them on this basis, someone else will.

You have been warned.