web 2.0

this whole web 2.0 movement has been driving me crazy lately. . .seems like we haven't even really figured out web 1.0 yet and we are already moving on to the next thing. does 3 years of quasi-stability in an industry mean we have weathered the storm, can pat ourselves on the back, and look toward the glorious future where the money just starts rolling in? i look at business's like google and aol whose revenue steam is still singularly focused. they may have done work in the past few years to add other streams, but none are strong enough to carry a company through a downturn in the market, let alone 3 or 4 bad quarters.

i think everyone is really happy with themselves for figuring out a way to make money on the web - believe me, i am happy too, since i work in the industry - but i don't think it is time to rest on our laurels, look at what we have done, and tell our selves we've made it over the hump, we are smarter than the web 1.0 people, and it's time to crown ourselves the new leaders of the web 2.0 revolution - can anyone actually tell what web 2.0 is, besides a very expensive conference in san francisco a few months ago? people throw the term around like it means something, 'we are living in web 2.0 world.' i'm not sure i know what the web 2.0 world is, but it sounds a bit dodgey, and i am pretty sure it's the like world i live in now where a one bedroom apartment goes for $700k. . .sounds like eden to me. . .

the register recently asked the same question that i am tangling with about web 2.0, and they do it much more justice than i do - read a bit when you get a chance. . .i think my favorite description was: "Web 2.0 is the air for the next bubble" - i have a feeling this balloon may be a bit bigger though. . ..