I’m no David Pogue. I’m not even a tech blogger. I visit few very specialized blogs or sites to find info or help on a specific project/problem I face at the moment. Having said that, there are big shifts in how the net is moving according to what I have seen the past year or so. This is my attempt to put down the narrow list of what I have noticed.
1. Open API
Everyday, I read my popular tech sites and one by one, big service providers start to open up their API. Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon are the big names. There are little ones but very useful and niche that start offering this as well.
I believe the push is to attract more developers to use their API and hopefully come up with a game changing app. Proprietary software vendors are making their API accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
To see a list of all available API and what kind of mash-up (combine many APIs in one application) people can come up with, see ProgrammableWeb – Mashups, APIs, and the Web as Platform
2010 is a big year for developers who can utilize the massive amount of data and available API to come up with a creative app that will change the way we use the internet. Web 3.0, here I come. Someone somewhere out there is working on his next Google startup in his garage right now.
2. Social networking
They are everywhere. You, I, and our friends all have Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. Websites are coming out with creative way to make update, data sharing extremely easy.
You run out of idea to tweet? Don’t worry, just click on the Retweet button.
Tired of updating your Facebook’s status with “Going to the store”? Don’t worry, click on that button to share a piece of news you are reading to your FB friends
LinkedIn? Got it too. LinkedIn now allow you to connect your Twitter and blog account so people in your professional network can see what you are up to.
If Web 3.0 is somewhere around the corner, these social networking tools will be a big part of it.
A big fan of social networking? You must have seen this site Social Media News and Web Tips – Mashable – The Social Media Guide
3. New type of discussion forum
If you read this, you are probably members of a few other forums who run software that are in existence for many, many years. That provides a welcome familiarity to people who don’t like sudden change on how they read the post or sign up. You know what to expect when you click that Register button.
What else is out there?
I have recently been using a few Web 2.0-ish sites that use a different type of discussion software. They are made popular by the guys at Stack Overflow. Their diagram says it all
These are very popular now with the developer community. While the UI is completely oversimplified, the biggest difference with the other forum software is how answer are voted and how people earn they “badges” for contributing.
Here is another site I frequent that use the same Stack software implementation.
OnStartups Answers
4. Freemium
According to wikipedia, “Freemium is a business model that works by offering basic Web services, or a basic downloadable digital product, for free, while charging a premium for advanced or special features. The word “freemium” is a portmanteau created by combining the two aspects of the business model: “free” and “premium”. The business model has gained popularity with Web 2.0 companies.”
We all know this without actually recognizing it. You can get a free account on LinkedIn that does pretty much all you need. When you want to send a message to someone who requests to be contacted only by premium members, you need to buy their site credits to unlock more features. It’s “freemium” model at works.
You use Facebook and want to send your friends some virtual gifts? Buy Facebook credits.
You all heard about NYTimes.com planning to install a meter that will require you to pay to read over a certain monthly free limit. It’s “freemium”. Samething works on WSJ.com site.
When revenue from advertising is disappearing quickly, it’s inevitable that companies will have to rely on other source of revenue without turning off their base of customers who will not pay a dime for things they are accustomed to get for free.
5. Conclusion
The internet is constantly evolving and the past year has proven we are just beginning to see the real promise of what an open internet, open information area can do for innovation. This makes the biggest recent net darlings like MySpace, Wikipedia so yesterday. I still don’t know what the real business plan behind popular sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter but they need to keep innovating or be left behind by another fad, next hot thing. So does this site.
Tags: fremium, open API, stack overflow, Tech, trend
