My take on Web 2.0

I just read a quick synopsis by Jeff Jarvis of the new companies that were introduced at the Web 2.0 conference.  I hesitate to say it, but the truth is, i don't get what many of them do (and i really don't like the names of most of them, but that's besides the point).  Maybe it's because i'm not a techie, but many of these technologies seem like they are built for the sake of technology and will make sense only to other techies.  I just can't see ordinary people like myself embracing a lot this stuff (at least not yet).  Though i regret not attending the Web 2.0 Conference, as i think Clipmarks would have impressed a lot of the attendees, i think there is a kind of 'mine is bigger than yours' thing going on with companies trying to develop amazing technolgoy instead of simply trying to solve problems.  Again, it might be that i just don't get it...but at the end of the day, doesn't that fact alone say a lot?  I hope that Clipmarks can gain the respect of the Web 2.0 crowd while not alienating ordinary people.

Comments

[john o]

I couldn't agree more

[Pete Cashmore]

"i really don't like the names of most of them, but that's besides the point"

Hehe. If Clipmarks was trying to be totally web 2.0, you'd have to rename it Clipmarkr. Either that or clip.mark.icio.us!

[eric goldstein]

back to the drawing board i guess... how about Clipyo (pronounced clip-eee-o)?

[Nik Cubrilovic]

Eric I read that list of companies and I 'get' what each one of them does by reading the descriptions and taking a quick look at their frontpages. Do I think some of them have a sustainable business model is something else

[eric goldstein]

Hey Nik. Thing is, you're a very tech-savvy person. I'm a proponent of the Crossing the Chasm school of thought of "early adopters" first, but i just worry that web 2.0 has taken on an identity that only appeals to a very small slice of the population. Therefore, reaching a critical mass won't happen fast enough and the big guys (Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, etc) will come in and take the market. Your current post about RSS being included in Outlook is a perfect example of this.

[Nik Cubrilovic]

When you are in your early stages, you do your best to appeal to that early adopter crowd as they will become your evangelists. This means being technical and having features that will appeal to a technical audience. Once your service has developed further and has learnt from that early user base you adapt your message to attract the next phase of users. Flickr is probably the only application that has made the leap so far, and possibly typepad.

[eric goldstein]

I certainly can't argue with that. What I'm finding interesting and exciting about Clipmarks is that our members don't seem to be exclusively techie. We're trying very hard to find a balance that makes everyone feel comfortable with our solution regardless of their geek factor. Maybe it's because i'm not too techie myself that i'm trying to create something to non-techies can quickly grasp. At the same time, i'm impressed (and maybe even a bit intimidated) by geeks so i'm equally driven to create a solution that they're supportive of.