The "bubble" thing...and the "two-o" song.

I really like this post on The Register.
It very neatly sums up not just the hype that existed in 2000 but also the fact that there seems to be a repeat of the same happening again in the current time. Web2.0!! and dont even say Voice2.0!!!!!

Probably the only difference is that the build-up is a bit more subtle this time and not as much in-your-face. There are ventures I know of building portals and social networks purely to get "users???" to the site but without a clear plan on the monetizing aspect of it. YASN anyone?

I think most portal ventures believe that they will be the best implementation of a certain concept and eventually get millions of users, who will find the service being offered "indispensable"...really? How indespensable can you be when there are around a dozen wannabe sites simillar to the ones you are building? And the barrier to entry is dropping all the time.

The free-e-sumer(my term for the intErnet conSUMER who will sign up for a product or service as long as its FREE but is'nt interested in paying for them) is an extremely fickle and pampered lot - not to mention they are also easily tempted to move should something better (and still free) comes along. And better things do come along and the free-e-sumer stay free and mobile (aka unloyal to YOU - but loyal to themselves and thier needs).

There are some traditional (in e-commerce timeframe) clear cut business models and NO - Google splurging 1.6 BILLION USD is NOT the same thing as someone else building a similar site to get a million hits.Google wants digital "properites" and preferably ones that allow detecting "context" - that goes some way in making google ads more relevant on those properties. Ads ARE the money spinner for google - the *tubes bring in more ad clicks - Ad clicks 'not equal' to Eyeballs.
By the way - even Google might have some issue's selling ads on youTube.

Sure innovation lies in creating new waves of opportunity - but you need to understand a underserved market need first (precise search) OR create/unlock one (eBay) - dont build it just because you can. Build it as long as it will offer 'real' value to users, and there are reasonable 'non-trivial' ways of generating a cash flow from the value chain. Even if its just advertising. My take though on advertising is that - if it indeed becomes super targeted and behavioural, why the hell would I "stumble" upon ads in random websites, I might as well sign up for a "What YOU want.com" (free) account and see all my ads there, click / interact / buy etc. all from one place. Why? Cause I do'nt like the cluttered crap on the sites I browse and I will start switching to those which are ad free. Should something like this happen - guess what's gonna happen to all those ad-clicks you wanted on your portal -(shudder!!).

"Wanting" to make a lot of money by "hoping" to get a lot of "users" is not a bad thing - as long as there is some notion of revenue in the whole story.

Otherwise you need to take a number and hope that you are enough of a nuisance to a real business that they might buy you just to shut you down. Hey lets face it - companies (especially tech. ones) are accquired all the time - but there are cases when the accquired technology / product / innovation never sees the light of day. This happens for various reasons, the prime one being that the guys signing the check are the main revenue channel and in the long term planning the (technology from the) guy being given the cheque is'nt that good a strategic fit - but neither is it competition anymore.

So all you out there - watch it! Don't start dreaming of the bling just coz your site has the words "Web2.0" "Voice2.0" or any other two-o in it. But on the off-chance you do hit it rich - hey I always knew you guys were the Bomb! now where my stock options at ;)

News Map - using Yahoo Pipes!

:) I happened to spend some time checking out Yahoo Pipes today and was glad I took the effort.

This seems to be a very very easy way to create mashups and you dont even need to write any code.

You can see one of my first attempts at using Pipes here.

Have a look - this little thingy took all of 5 minutes to build - although I did start out by cloning an existing Pipe from the site.
Cheers.

BarCamps - Catching on

I have been noticing of late, that the notion of BarCamps, seems to be catching on quite well (in India). I fully intend to attend the next one I know of in Pune as I think its a great way to meet energetic and creative people and share. The whole notion of "unconferencing" is in itself refreshing - discuss what the collective desires and can build upon. Very cool.


Some people I have met with lately have expressed different reasons as to why they like the notion of BarCamps. Some like the community based, collaborative knowledge sharing, others like the fact that they get exposed to an array of potentially fresh thought. I personally think its a great way to see what is of interest to groups out there. If done right, these events can be a pretty potent creative collaboration. Oh...then there is the pure networking aspect - a chance to meet people who you might otherwise miss in the daily and the ordinary.

Anyways, I am looking forward to getting involved in any collective I can which deals with Web 2.0, collaborative servcices, online advertising and federated identity.
I will be posting details of future BarCamps on the blog as I come across any info.
Cheers!


ps. The Ajax session was pretty interesting, for a surprising reason :) - I realised except for some of the ways in which AJAX centred JavaScript is now used (and things like JSON etc), I have done a lot of script stuff that came quite close years ago! I guess anyone who has reasonable experience with Javascript and DOM should find starting with AJAX a matter of minutes. Good stuff!

Web 2.0 - A great introduction

I came across an amazing video today on Web 2.0 and I just had to share it.
Its the work of a professor from KSU and IMHO beautifully done.
Take a look for youselves.




I think coming across stuff like this is an amazing way to start the day :)

The Great Indian decade --- is it?

The coming decade is being labelled as "The Great Indian Story".

This is being said because of all the good (if not great) things that the Indian economy is seeing happen. From the boom in IT, to the emergence of the Indian multiunationals and more recently the surge in the Pharma related enterprises - they have all contributed in the last decade or so to create a robust image for an emerging India and its not over yet (apparently)...There is talk (and news and blogs and more) of this is being just the begining.I wanted to get some perspective on this from other folks who might be involved in this unfloding story (willingly or otherwise)...whats the real scoop?

Is the India story primarily still (as of 2006) :

1. based around low cost?
2. based around abundance of labour (again low cost labor)?
3. due to a market that has not yet been tapped (this more for the non IT businesses)
   

I want to get a feel for how you the netizen feel about it - especially if you are in a position to view the happenings up close and personal. Will this last? Is it just beginning?