Weblogs, Inc. CEO Jason Calacanis has a couple thoughts on the AJAX/Web 2.0 nonsense:
3. Web 2.0 is a buzzword designed primarily for people who don’t know what they’re talking about (or to get people to pay $3,000 to go to a conference).
4. 90% of the companies in this Web 2.0 image will not be in business in three years, regardless of how cute their logos are.
Jason’s rant reminds me of Russell Beattie’s Web 2.0 WTF post from a few weeks back where he said:
The worst thing about all the Web 2.0 hype is the complete loss of business perspective. There’€™s a few companies out there that seem to get it but just about every other new website I’€™ve seen lately is nothing but features parading as businesses. Sure, these guys get to be entered in the ‘€œFlip It Quick Acquisition Lottery’€?, but beyond that, none seem to be creating anything of any real value. Yeah, I’€™ve bitched about this before, but hey’€¦ today seems like a good day to start in again. I mean, not only is Bloglines not updating so I don’€™t have much else to write about, but I saw Jeremy’€™s link to the 16 ways to think in Web 2.0 and sure enough, not one of the points included anything about actually making money or creating a lasting business. It’€™s like the hype has climbed to whole new levels overnight.
Web 2.0 to me seems to be alot about design and technology when it should really be about building a solid business model that generates a profit and keeps your company around for years to come.
Sure, there’s much talk about how how conversations drive the blogosphere, and that’s something that I believe in – building a community, bringing readers back for more, generating great original content, and interacting with others. It’s those things that make blogging fun and interesting. Open APIs allow folks to create great mashups like what we’ve done with Blog Network List.
But, in the end, it’s about being able to have a sustainable business model, and then delivering on that business model again and again and again.. and there’s nothing 2.0 about that.
I’ll make a snide sidenote and point out that there are some blog networks in that big Web 2.0 logo collection that Jason has on this post – and some of them don’t have viable business models – I don’t expect to see many of them in 2009.
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