Avoiding Web 6.0 failures..
First off lets be real for a moment. I never believed in Web 2.0 in the terms we think of them today. Web 2.0 began when a long time ago when we were evolving from BBS’s to Private Portals like Compuserve,Prodigy, and AOL. Web 3.0 began when pornography became an industry online. And Web 4.0 was highlighted by the Search Engine Wars that caused the dot com failures. And here we are descending into Web 5.0 which we mask as the second coming of The Great Internet Company. Truthfully Web 5.0 isn’t much different than Web 4.0, their are already some of these New “Web 2.0” companies that are failing. And the reason they are failing is because they aren’t looking for ways to be profitable. They are looking for ways to be popular. Some tips on avoiding the upcoming Web 6.0 fallouts.
First seize the profits damnit. Or else you’re going to end up failing.
You have to put profits above innovation. Don’t grow to fast that you start losing profits. Stay small and Stay Smart. Reward your people that put in the hard work rather than growing fast and alienating everyone.
Chose a business name that can be mainstreamed.
The American Public probably won’t understand that you can’t spell, or can’t develop a decent product name. Therefore you will never make any sense to the average American. Atleast choose something spellable. Just because I can’t spell and don’t have good grammar. It doesn’t make me an expert on Web 2.0 names.
Don’t set unreasonable deadlines
I find myself pushing myself beyond realistic deadlines making for longer hours, and potential burnout of some talented people. If you’ve recently got an email from me. Realize that I still love you, but I’m moving, helping a startup, and dealing with a wife that demands I work in my boxers and satisfy her every desire. Mostly which involve watching Hugh Grant movies and dancing around with a dust mop.
In Conclusion:
I’m sure there is a lot more here. These are just a few things I notice myself having a tendency to get caught up in myself and my issues. And just a few pointers for you based on my mistakes. I think we should all look at our business models every 90 days, reevaluate, reevaluate, and do it again. Make the neccesary changes to keep growing smartly, not like an adolescent company. Having worked for a successful “dot com”, I’ve seen good things and bad things. And what made them successful was a lot of the shit up above. So breathe deeply. And if I’m running late on my email responses its because Im taking a hot sauna bath, preparing for a cross country move, taking a few days off in the remote Montana Wilderness, and skinny dipping in Flathead Lake. I’m a lifetime member of the Polar Bear Club and this is our annual get together. Does anyone need pictures?
Great article. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, recently… particularly since I had to write a biography about my start, online. From back in the BBS days, it’s amazing how much times have changed (and, in some ways, how much they’ve remained the same).
Your article inspired me to write a post, making a few predictions for Tim O’Reilly’s little Web 2.0. Hopefully, you’ll find it interesting.
Eric Scalf said this on January 31, 2006 3:13 am