After several protests of "too much work and not enough time", my friend Michael Bonfils finally talked me into being a panelist for the TechBiz Connection Web 2.0 event. I benefited from his persistence; the conversation was good, and I met some great people. Rodney Rumford, also a panelist, assembled a list of resources on his blog for the attendees.
The question was, "What is Web 2.0?" Surprisingly, in an era where the buzzword seems extremely over hyped, many in the audience were still unfamiliar with the term. But should we be surprised? Not really. We techies are notorious for embracing great technology and then overselling it. Java was going to deliver truly portable applications in a couple years from its inception. Companies were going to quickly adopt web services and hurdle all of their connectivity woes. It was the breakout year of location-based services every year since 1999. Now, the web desktop will bring down the mighty Microsoft Windows.
Right.
I do believe many of these things will come to pass; but its the optimistic time frame that I often find myself shaking my head at. We tend to expect everyone to see the technology as we see it, for all of its shining glory and life changing merit. But this is not so. And the biggest problem with watching through this lens? Its not the optimistic expectations...its that we tend to also design our software with this world-view.
We design software with the expectation that the user should catch up - that they should "get it" - rather than crafting the software around the user. Consider the enterprise application where the operator needs to visit 16 screens to perform a simple task (in this case, the interface probably fit 1-to-1 with the database structure). Or, consider RSS feeds. Simple technology. Great technology. But...
Ask a random sample group what an RSS feed is, and you'll probably get 5-8% recognition. Why? Because it is not yet seamless. Its a tiny orange button with the words "RSS" or "XML" that sits off in the corner of some browsers. Now consider podcasting, and look how the same technology is widely adopted. Tech friendly v. consumer friendly. Why can 21 year olds now start their own million (billion!) dollar companies? Because its not just about tech know-how anymore. The competitive advantage is in the design (good book: A Whole New Mind).
Sidebar: I haven't defined Web 2.0 in my own words yet, have I? I believe the principle element of Web 2.0 is that it is a movement that equips everybody with a voice. Robert Scoble shares his opinion (voice) through his blog and now tops Google for the keyword "Robert". Users can rate and comment on their favorite stories at digg. People can share their art or casual captures on Flickr and YouTube. Furthermore, I can find other voices - whether they are in agreement or in opposition - easier than ever before, and the co-mingling of these diverse voices creates one great conversation.
Return: And so if Web 2.0 is about equipping users with a voice, it only stands to reason that a well designed site will do more equipping. And thats what Web 2.0 is also all about, isn't it - large communities, with founders salivating at the potential advertising revenue? :)
Coincidently, there is another competitive advantage for a Web 2.0 site, and its contrary to what most investors (underplays first mover, but still a great read). are telling you....there is a first mover advantage. Mind you, you can't come out with crap and expect to win. But if you debut early and listen to the feedback, using the wisdom of the crowd, you have a great head start at building a large, vibrant community. As the founder of LinkedIn said, "If you are not thoroughly embarrassed with your first release, you've waited too long."