Many new companies looking to compete in a given space choose to first copy basic competitor features to level the playing field. Only at this point do they integrate their own functionality and incorporate what they think the consumer will want. This tactic isn’t rare by any means, but it may bring about feature creep and maybe even an inferior overall offering.
Everyone seems to want a piece of the Internet. Everyone has a friend’s cousin’s neighbour who started an Internet company in their basement and now flies around the world in a private jet. The appeal is obvious. However, making it to that point is another story altogether.
In February, a spat between Michael Arrington of TechCrunch and Glenn Kelman of Redfin re-ignited the age-old debate of whether it is better to launch a start-up in Silicon Valley or whether physical location matters in the Internet age.
The next generation of web services and applications will marry two seemingly separate entities - quality and quantity. Historically, knowledge and information have either come in trickles of quality or a barrage of nonsense. Attaining the synergistic point where quality and quantity can both be united is the ultimate ambition.
Web 2.0 is sexy. Making money on the Internet isn’t. The majority of web 2.0 initiatives fail to turn a profit. Their existence is dependent upon funding or passion. The true money-makers of the Internet are businesses that people don’t talk about.
Aidan Henry is an Internet strategy consultant, designer, and web entrepreneur.
aidanhenry (@) hotmail.com
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