What does the CB Radio market teach us to anticipate for Web 3.0?

Many of you probably don't even know what a CB (Citizen Band) Radio is.  Here are some highlights from an article that sums it up:

"The citizens' band radio service was formed following a decision in 1945 by the US government that its citizens should be permitted a short-distance radio band for personal communication.

Originally used by professional truck drivers to help each other manage traffic, weather, etc.  CB radios transitioned to the mainstream market in the seventies, for two reasons:

". . .the low cost and simple operation of CB equipment gave access to a communications medium that was previously only available to specialists."

"the common practice (was) . . . using the radios to warn other drivers of speed traps during the time when the U.S. dropped the national speed limit to 55 mph beginning in 1974 in response to the 1973 hike in oil prices."

The forum was public, where the etiquette was to announce yourself with a "Breaker, Breaker" and then identify yourself with your "handle."

Once you bought the equipment, the CB Radio "network" was free.

Sounds sort of like the Internet and more specifically Twitter, doesn't it?

What happened to CB Radios?  Here are two thoughts:

As the volume of use grew the chaos became unmanageable, uninviting, and even, intimidating (according to the same article):

". . . lack of regulatory enforcement of the airwaves and the fact that anyone with the price of the equipment can be up and transmitting immediately after the purchase of that equipment with no knowledge of radio etiquette or procedure.

Blame it on the idiots with a mic in their hand who think they have found a captive audience for their blatherings . . ."

But consider that CB radios created demand for two things that were never possible before: 1) connecting with complete strangers and 2) mobile communications.   But the free for all also created demand for something better.  Cellphones offered a way to have mobile communications and completely filter out unwanted chatter.  And we were prepared to pay a lot for this improvement - even though the reception was less reliable than CBs.   

But nothing has filled the void for a way to connect with complete strangers but filter out the jerks until Facebook came along.  

IMPLICATIONS FOR WEB3.0

Web 2.0 is, in a way, is a renaissance of a lost benefit of the CB Radio.  As wikipedia describes it:

"the CB allowed people to get to know one another in a quasi-anonymous manner. Many movies and stories about CBers and the culture on-the-air developed."

Isn't it this opportunity to get to know people that also drives demand for Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other Social Networks?   

What are the lessons learned from the CB Radio experience? 

As suggested by a Seattle Post oped, "Understand the Consequences of Free Speach,"  referencing recent legal action against bloggers, the social net is getting messy. 

As the volume of users increase will the same rudeness and chaos scare people away?  With the appetite to get to know people heightened, what features would dissatisfied social network users run to and pay a premium for?

There's a glimpse of how COMRADITY begins to imagine Web 3.0.  Those who think people will not pay for content are missing a key reason people are using the Web - the content is means to connecting with people you don't know.  I my day, marketing folks called that the "end benefit."   More on how end benefits define brands in another post.