Ever since Tim O’Reilly offered a well constructed definition of “Web 2.0”, we (and I am as guilty as others) have gone into a bubble of derivatives, rejections and now flat-out derision. Chris Pirillo offered the last strike with his “Web 2.0″ Doesn’t Mean Anything Yet.
“Web 2.0,” much like the terms and technologies that envelop it, is perfect for elevator pitches and business plans. The desire to slap a name onto this renaissance is only human nature… even though nobody can agree on where we’re going or what we’re doing or what it is! We’re in the middle of a movement, my friends – let’s just enjoy it. Let’s just mold it into whatever it gets molded into. “This” is a renaissance – and it won’t be properly defined until it’s well past us. Stop arguing over what it is and what it’s not – just get on with creating things, sharing information, and generally trying to make this world a better place.
Let’s just say that Web 2.0 is useful term to represent this current generation of Internet companies, and get on with it: building sustainable companies that might eventually run into interesting short term opportunities depending on “market dynamics”. But you can’t push it and only build features, as David (Hornik) spells it out in Built To Be Bought (Bubble 2.0) (do check out the comment from Dick Costollo, the CEO of FeedBurner).
So how about we stop arguing and go build great companies.