Monthly Archives: September 2006

The Web 2.0 backlash is underway. Guy Kawasaki makes fun of it at the start of this video, and Chris Anderson posts a comic that makes fun of the flavor of the month in over actual content.

I think this is what happens when buzzwords and trends become more important than thinking about what people want. Buzzwords and trends is how bubbles get created. Unfortunately, when the bubble bursts, the real value of the technology for doing stuff people want gets thrown out with the bathwater. In the newspaper industry, when Bubble 1.0 burst, a lot of publishers lost interest in the Internet. They’re paying the price now. When Bubble 2.0 bursts (the Web 2.0 revolution), a lot of business leaders will lose interest. But the underlining infrastructural need for people to connect with people will not go away, even after the buzzwords are forgotten.

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According to Guy Kawasaki, Helio is the hot new phone among the youth. Just so you know. It looks pretty slick, with all the features a social-networking, media-addicted kid might want. It promotes myspace and boosts a “home theater in your pocket.” Just so you know.

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Mark Cuban says only a moron would buy YouTube.

Cuban, co-founder of HDNet and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, also said YouTube would eventually be “sued into oblivion” because of copyright violations.

“They are just breaking the law,” Cuban told a group of advertisers in New York. “The only reason it hasn’t been sued yet is because there is nobody with big money to sue.”

I’ve said before, copyrighted material is YouTube’s poison pill, in a manner of speaking. Who wants the headache?

Cuban doesn’t see a revenue model, but he’s got a conflict of interest in that matter with his new venture. I think there is a way to make money in this space.

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Jon Fine on why the Times won’t pass to private hands. My previous related thoughts here.

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Note: If you’re planning to publish a free paper with home distribution to non-opt-in subscribers, make sure you have a rock solid system to let people opt-out.

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Tribune may be getting ready to go private.

David Geffen is serious about buying the Times.

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Mindy McAdams offers five categories of tips for driving site traffic. It’s all good stuff.

Jay Small has a link-filled post related to design and usability.

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Here’s an interesting bit of news: The Knight Foundation is putting up $25 million to help foster news of a local nature.

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Great lede from Vin Crosbie:

Let’s peek under the blanket because there’s a lot of people in the dark there. A widespread misconception is that taking printed or broadcast content and putting it online or wireless is new-media. This misconception blankets even many new-media executives.

No, taking printed or broadcast content and putting it online or wireless is as much new-media as microwaving hamburgers is new cuisine. It’s just the same old beef reheated a new way. (bold added)

As they say, read the whole thing. Vin, as always, serves up good food for thought.

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I was pretty amazed to hear that Pervez Musharraf appeared on the Daily Show. Then when I started to watch, the cynical side comes out and I think, “He’s just another guy promoting a book.”

The interview proves once again how good Jon Stewart really is. He conducts a better interview than the big names on big networks.

For me, though, a guy who hasn’t had any sugar in four or five weeks, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Twinkies.

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