is Web 2.0 really kicking butt?
I starting playing around with some Alexa graphs and for fun started comparing old (well comparatively in some cases) vs new companies with some surprising results.
I know you want to know the digg vs Slashdot comparison but I'll leave that till last and start with one which really matched up to my expectations. Istock vs Getty Images.
Istockphoto for those that don't know is an upstart in the stock photography business, charging as little as $1 for professional quality photographs that have traditionally been in the $350 - $500 range. The photographs are taken and uploaded by a growing army of enthusiasts, hobbyists and professionals who have found a more direct outlet for their talents. A classic case of disintermediation.
OK next match up an old world heavyweight and and the Web 2.0 posterchild.
A runaway victory for the company that understands its place in the lives of its users. Kodak it seems is struggling to drag its brand into the digital age despite a century or more of experience on its side (or should that be weighing it down).
This is fun whose next?
Some of you may remember a youngster who really "got" the net bringing us a way to group like minded sites together a few years back. Webring provided a means to let site owners group themselves with others so that if we found something we liked we could hit the "next" button and presumably get more of the same.
Turns out that letting the user decide cumulatively what they like is just a little more powerful.
OK now we get to tonight's heavyweight bout.
looks like a victory for the reigning champion here with a rematch definitely on the cards.
But our fun isn't quite over yet. If these are our two tech heavyweights shouldn't we throw the original tech news destination into the mix?
Whoah there. It looks like there is a space for the creation of content in this new world. If every site was a "social bookmarking" site where would they all point to? And it looks to me as if when users find an efficient way of finding content that appeals to them as a group, the creators of the content benefit in far larger proportion than the sites who merely point the way.
Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this. Either way I'll let you know when the next fight night is scheduled.
