"I am thinking of opening a startup"
It may be time for Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the Fittest” to take its place in the Web 2.0 industry. It seems that we have been bombarded with yet another social networking site, yet another social bookmarking site, yet another video site, and yet no real differentiation or improvement of the user experience between the different services. I try to cover as many of the web 2.0 sites which I think are making a difference, but it seems the market has been saturated with similar sites, all offering the same services. Every person I’ve met recently has his own startup or is thinking of opening one. Perhaps it is time that we take a step back and reconsider new and innovative ideas that are not meant to add to the users’ list of already available services, but to provide them with better and enhanced services than what is being offered today.
Technorati tags: startup, darwin, survival of fittest, web 2.0, video, social networking, social bookmarking, saturation, innovation
April 12th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Isn’t that what every new startup is thinking in the beginning? That they improve the users experience?
I know I have ben thinking about setting something up for a little while now with a few other people. Let me know if you would be interested in joining
April 12th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
I believe that most new startups really do think that they are offering the users an improved experience but eventually when you look at the end product, it is almost identical to other exisiting sites. Other entrepreneurs see models that are already working and think “hey, why don’t I also create a site like this?”
I am all for innovation, let’s just make sure that we are really offering users a new and enhanced experience.
April 12th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
it’s a very funny thing to read after you come back home from a meeting that i agreed joining a new web2.0 start-up… :S
April 12th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Don’t let my post discourage you. Just make sure that your site is offering something innovative
April 13th, 2007 at 12:05 am
isn’t it what every body’s thinking?
April 13th, 2007 at 12:24 am
I think deep down people know if they’re offering something unique or “just another”.
April 13th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
It may be time for Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the Fittest” to take its place in the Web 2.0 industry. It seems that we have been bombarded with yet another social networking site, yet another social bookmarking site, yet another video site, and yet no real differentiation or improvement of the user experience between the different services. I try to cover as many of the web 2.0 sites which I think are making a difference, but it seems the market has been saturated with similar sites, all offering the same services. Every person I’ve met recently has his own startup or is thinking of opening one. Perhaps it is time that we take a step back and reconsider new and innovative ideas that are not meant to add to the users’ list of already available services, but to provide them with better and enhanced services than what is being offered today.
I see value in entrepeneurs reconsidering so called ‘innovative’ models that do not actually add value to already existing models however I do not agree with you that entrepeneurs should try to improve existing models and reconsider new innovative models. My attitude is that the ‘list of available services’ can not be long enough. I have been working on a brainstorming project which is a completely new model of online communication.
As far as all the social networking sites available - I beleive that as with most industries there will be a certain amount of consolidation and there will emerge new models. One possible new model I think could be possible is users moving from being producers to being editors, bundling and editing content for their own use as well as their audience (see my blog post on this topic at Business Endevers)
April 13th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I totally agree that darwin has to come down and help weed out the copycats that fail to create any additional value, however I disagree with your comment that entrepeneurs should focus on creating better and enhanced services for already existing services and reconsider new innovative ideas that add to the list of available services.
In my opinion we need one just as much as the other. As an entrepeneur I have been working on a brainstorming project for quite sometime and deep down I know that I am offering something unique through a completely new innovative model.
I don’t believe there is any harm in all of these people having their own start ups and I also dont believe that there is any harm in all these new social networking sites that do not create any additional value. People, especially on the internet, are drawn to value and if they do not see it then they will leave and go somewhere else. The market will eventually do what you ask darwin’s theory to do. In the social networking industry I think there will be a further period of new sites but then the industry will consolidate and there will be a few major players and several local and niche players. I think we will also see new models of social networking, one possible idea is users becoming editors as well as producers, bundling content (including RSS feeds, podcasts and vodcasts on a site), editing content and using this page for their own reading/viewing as well as their audiences. If you think about the prevalence of blogs and what they actually are - people reading posts of other users in an effort to get some of there knowledge, well with this idea you would be delving further down the sources of knowledge used on blogs. Check out my post on this topic at Business Endevers
April 13th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Dear St.Andrew:
I agree with you that the market will eventually do Darwin’s job and squeeze out those sites that don’t offer users any value. However, I am asking entrepreneurs to take a look at what they’re offering even before they introduce it to the market. This will eventually serve their purposes and the users’ needs a lot better.
I applaud innovation and new ideas but I disagree with your statement: “The list of available services cannot be long enough.” As you yourself write, you believe that your idea is something unique, that will bring added value to users. You’re not just taking an existing model and copying it but rather you’re bringing some new into the spectrum.
April 16th, 2007 at 4:23 am
I think it is commendable that you are attempting to provoke thought in entrepeneurs before they startup or copy.
I think I must be confused about what you originally meant by the list of available services. In your reply you said that you disagreed that the list cannot be long enough and continued to say that my idea is a new model, these two things mean the same to me.
April 17th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Dear St. Andrew:
Hope that we’re clear now