Due to recent problems with my host and their server’s paranoia of PHP picture manipulation code, I’ll refrain from posting pictures until they fix it or I get a new host. I guess I’m going to have to make an impact with mundane, trivial text.Anyway, a friend recently recommended a blog on Web 2.0 developments (you know, all that talk about online social networking, the power of the people and tagging and so forth…), TechCrunch. It helpfully lists a lot of startups (1) and the services they offer, the vast majority of which are free and have refined interfaces (AJAX enabled, think Google Maps).
Almost a year ago, a friend and one of the people behind the now-defunct Buttercouple (2) pretty much predicted this, back when things were quieter and people were still reeling from the thought of having actual web applications. He claimed that the “new IPO” that fueled .com’s of the past is “being bought out by a bigger company with an actual business strategy”. The theory is that, if you offer something cool for free out of your own pocket, time and hard work, you’ll have enough users that one of those internet giants will pay you good money to have access at those users. Visibility is everything.
And it makes sense for both sides of the equation. Most of these startups stand no chance of making any money (look at the list at Techcrunch and tell me how many of these services you’re willing to pay or endure intrusive advertising for), so being bought out is the catchall for a good idea; the big boys are continually trying to attract users, but spend valuable, valuable time building it when you can throw cash at someone else when you can acquire their users?
This time around, it looks thankfully less crazy: less venture capital being handed out as charity loans, less outrageous promises and premature announcements, more hard work at creating a full product (3). It also looks like bad ideas are being snuffed out earlier, which is a win for everybody involved; think about it this way: would you rather be informed of a viral infection via fits of coughing, choking, and general bodily pain, or via turning into a human-zombie hybrid? Yes, I realize that was a bad analogy.
It also seems like there will be a lot less wealth obtained and lost this go around, since most of these companies will never be touched by the big hand of public investment. Again, I see this as a good thing, but then I’m less adventurous than some.
Personally, I’ve only found online portal pages to be attractive, although I’ve yet to sample some of the other stuff out there. I’m a big customization freak, so personal portal pages are a big draw; previous attempts before this round of innovative companies have been too restrictive and too tied to the mother site, commercialized beyond sense or reason. The one I’m trying out now is called Netvibes, which is very functional as well as squeaky clean. Other recommended ones include the popular link collabration site Del.icio.us and music recommender Last.fm, which my friend goes into further detail here.
We are very, very spoiled.