MIX06: Leaving Las Vegas

Posted on March 22, 2006 by JoeDuck

Everybody understands that the web is redefining computing and communication. Some companies are ACTING like the web is profoundly important more than others. Yahoo is and Google is and certainly the exploding number of Web 2.0 startups “get Web 2.0”.

MIX06 was Microsoft’s first major attempt to reach out and interract with a broad section of online community with this in mind.
So for me the question was “Does Microsoft get Web 2.0?”. The answer was not so clear to me. The LIVE team certainly does, and they’ve got something like a billion behind them and a lot of moral support from the key people like Bill Gates. They’ve got good applications and ideas and a lot more coming over the next few months.
But the core competencies and resources and focus (though NOT the key energy) still make me feel like Microsoft as a community has not fundamentally adapted to the new web, and maybe cannot adapt. Google’s success is about the web’s success. Microsoft’s success has NOT been web centric and changing the company to a web centric model is risky at best and could be disastrous.

Ironically I’m not sure they have to become web centric even though they seem to say they do, because with upcoming changes to IE and VISTA they have a lot of control over the environment in which Web 2.0 will unfold.

So, I’m leaving Las Vegas a bit more enlightened but with no great insight into the emerging world of the web.

MIX06 “Live” Gadgets = Cool

Posted on March 22, 2006 by JoeDuck

Earlier I said MS was doing web 1.9 rather than 2.0 but that was before I heard the two presentations about the coming “LIVE” web environment, complete with what looks like the most robust set of customizable gadgets from a major player. This is 2.0 stuff and it’s … really good stuff.

I actually heard Microsoft rather than Yahoo and Google folks talking enthusiastically about mashups and open environments and how important it is to create platforms to spread info wildly as well as customize the user experience with things that are NOT Microsoft. I confess I’m not familiar enough with MY YAHOO to compare it to the LIVE environment which will be growing fast in the coming months. My Yahoo is certainly really good stuff too, but I think MS has the edge in being able to customize their LIVE stuff to their own OS and browser. I see a lot hinging on how LIVE plays out over the coming months.

Also I’m starting to see why their were rumors recently about MS aquiring Yahoo. I’m not betting on it even though I’m right here in Las Vegas, but it’s interesting to see several Yahoo examples with nary a mention of Google.

Web 2.0 Panel at MIX06

Posted on March 21, 2006 by JoeDuck

You couldn’t have picked a better panel for Web 2.0 than here at MIX06. Tim O’Reilly, who was/is the closest thing to Mr. Web 2.0 until perhaps Michael Arrington who was also on the panel along with Jeremy Zawodny from Yahoo, Royal Faros of Microsoft’s new messenger initiatives (which look really neat), and Ebay’s Adam Trachtenberg.

Of course as with all things Web 2.0 one left more confused than before the session, but that goes with the territory these days. Monetization is unclear even for companies that are cited as “successes” in the space such as delicious and flickr.

My favorite quote of the conference was Arrington to the Canadian Yellow Pages company asking how they could morph into a 2.0 company. “You are dead!” he said, I think meaning that UNLESS they changed their old style, usurous advertising fees, yellow page publishing empire would be overrun by Web 2.0s. He even felt EBAY was at risk, feeling they are protective of their 1.0 status.
I’m not so sure about that – in fact I’m increasingly skeptical of Web 2.0 as an easily monetizable phenomenon even as I am more convinced than ever that it’s a profound change in communication, information, and global community.

Web 2.0 at MIX06. Mike to Yellow Pages “You are DEAD!”

Posted on March 20, 2006 by JoeDuck

Mixed feelings about MIX06

Posted on March 20, 2006 by JoeDuck

OK, it’s still WAY too early to tell, but I can’t help but feel a bit like this conference is Microsoft *pretending* to care/respect the changes swirling about and typically called “Web 2.0” rather than *really* caring.

In response to O’Reilly’s request for an appearance at his November conference, Chairman Bill said “maybe it’ll be Web 3.0 by then”. I think this remark was telling in that Bill sees all this as “more of the same” rather than what many would describe as a significant shift in direction – the beginning of a world of ubiquitous connectivity, community, and voice.

Are blogs and mashups just clever little devices or are they a window into human info evolution? I’m kind of thinking if you belive the former you should tie your rowboat to the USS Microsoft ship of change but if the latter you should be cautious and just … keep … rowing and fishing for the exploding number of competing technologies that seem to be adapted more specifically for and with respect for the implications of Web 2.0.

But jeez, I haven’t even been to the party yet at TAO, the Venetian’s monstrous nightclub. That’ll change my perspective….?….

Off to MIX06

Posted on March 19, 2006 by JoeDuck

No Mom it’s NOT about the glitz, glamour, and free huge nightclub tabs picked up by Microsoft! It’s WORK and SOMEBODY darn well better get down to Las Vegas and do what has to be done!

MIX06 starts tomorrow morning with keynote by Bill Gates and leads into a large number of concurrent sessions which appear to be focused almost exclusively on how MS applications and future developments can be used in online applications. That’s OK because this is put on by MS, but somewhat ironically I think the concept here was to have a very “open” environment that tried to get feedback from the community about what they need, want, and where they are going. I’m anxious to see if MS is sincerely interested in ….. us.

Yahoo and Google certainly are interested as evidenced by the way they interact at other conferences. I think part of their corporate culture is to say “damn the torpedos, full speed ahead!” even when that approach could threaten some aspect of the company’s revenue. I’m not expecting this from MS but I’m hoping for greater responsiveness than they’ve shown the web community in the past.

Lies, Lies, and silly programs

Posted on March 14, 2006 by JoeDuck

SPONSOR RESULTS BY INTELIUS (What’s this?)

Intelius Is Lying About This Current Phone Number & Address Found. – Information was found in Public Records, including Age, Address History and Family Members.
http://www.intelius.com

I always wondered what was going on when I’d search Yahoo people for somebody and Intelius, not to find them but to have Intelius say they DID find them! Now I know. The above was obtained FROM an INTELIUS SEARCH! Those bozos just put whatever you enter and then LIE, saying they’ve found it, pushing you to the next screens to sign up. I don’t like it.

Cleverness should be copied, Yahoo and MSN and Google!

Posted on March 12, 2006 by JoeDuck

Although I’m in the growing crowd that suggests Yahoo and Google search results are comparable and MSN is not far behind, Google remains the leader in simple cleverness.

Why Yahoo and MSN don’t copy these little ideas from Google is a great mystery to me.
C’mon MSN, I don’t think many who search for “17 x 3” want this:
RAD Mfg. 2005 Application Chart & Pricelist
19×2.15 17×3.50,16.5×3.50 Front 17×4.25,17X4.50, 17×5.00 Rear CRF 250R 04-05 (36)Hex or Eagle 21×1.60 (32, 36)Hex or Eagle 18×2.15 19×2.15 17×3.50,16.5×3.50 Front

Yahoo you are no better with this:

Start Start 3 Portfolio – 17 x 22 x 1′ – PriceGrabber.com

Find the lowest price on Start Start 3 Portfolio – 17 x 22 x 1′. PriceGrabber.com delivers instant bottom-line prices on millions of products from thousands of merchants

Google wins HANDILY with this:

17 x 3 = 51

It’s hardly a copyrighted thing, so why don’t Yahoo and MSN do this? Or the temp function of Google calculator where you type “77 F in C” to get the F to C temp conversion?

I actually think part of this stubborn foolishness is that competing company people get a sense of pride in the status quo and actually stick to the wrong approach until they come up with something much better or they are forced by forces outside of their own control to copy the cleverness.

Godin at Google is Good

Posted on March 7, 2006 by JoeDuck

Seth Godin, one of the great online marketeers, recently spoke at Google and here is the Video.

His main point is that success is about marketing more than technology, even for companies like Google.

I’m really struck the more I “dive in” to the Web 2.0 people, experience, and companies how poorly this simple message is understood. Everybody seems to “get” that they’ll need to monetize traffic at some point, but I think many *wrongly* have taken away from the Google experience that great money comes when you build great technology. It happens, but not often.

Yahoo = Las Vegas of the 1960s

Posted on March 4, 2006 by JoeDuck

Mike over at Topix.net suggested that Yahoo is sort of like Las Vegas. He meant more in terms of monetization while surfing, but I’m thinking “hey, they ARE like the old Vegas!”

I see Yahoo as 1960’s Vegas, which was the “hippest and coolest” Vegas:
* Signature Yahoo Martinis served with blinking plastic “ice” cubes. Yahoo fancy ice sculpture. (Mashup Camp Yahoo Party, Feb 2006)
* Burlesque show and GoGo Dancers at PURE (Webmaster World Las Vegas) Party sponsored by … Yahoo. November 2005
* The RAT PACK = Tech Development Team. I know many would agree with me that Jeremy Zawodny is the Frank Sinatra of Web 2.0

Joe Duck

Have Blog. Will Travel. Vaccinate!

Category Archives: yahoo