

Battle Of The Commodity Web Applications: It’s All About People - fiaz
http://publishing2.com/2008/04/15/battle-of-the-commodity-web-applications-its-all-about-people/

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brlewis
I disagree with the thesis of this article. "Commodity Web Applications"
underestimates the importance of getting details right. I voted it up, though,
because I expect it to generate interesting discussion.

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fiaz
I thought the last statement summed up the thesis of the article quite well:

"It’s less about competing technology, and much more about competing user
bases."

I happen to agree with this argument. It is PRECISELY the core reason why I
always laugh when I read about the next "Digg killer".

If this thesis is correct, then the only way to create a "Digg killer" would
be to build a community around a celebrity instead of around a technology. The
technology is only an enabling factor, NOT the primary factor for social
applications to become popular.

The focus on technology is misplaced when it comes to the viability of social
applications.

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edw519
I don't agree with the supermarket analogy. I think the "popular bar" analogy
is more appropriate. People go where everyone else goes.

There's a bar down the street that was packed every Friday night this time
last year. Now it's dead. Everyone is at another bar 3 blocks away. Why?
Because everyone else is there. How did this happen? I don't know. But if I
was a bar or a social network, I'd try to figure it out so I could stay "hot".
Otherwise, I'd die and never quite know why.

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cglee
It also depends on what type of bar/website you want to build. Is it just a
"cool" place, or is it a place for regulars to hang out at? I love going to
the local dive bar to see familiar faces and share drinks with the neighbors.
HN is similar to that. Sometimes, usually not by my personal choice, I have to
go to those "cool" joints for events and such. That's fine too, but they
obviously cater to their niches.

I used to live in Vegas for a while and most of the clubs on "the strip" were
definitely catering to the cool crowd. How did they keep up with one another?
Constant re-branding, marketing, positioning, theme parties, etc. It's
incredibly tough competition but the financial rewards were also big. As a
local, I only went when I had guests in town who insisted on the Vegas
experience. Contrast that to the clubs for "locals", where they gave you
rewards points for coming, cheap drink specials only if you knew, and a very
friendly atmosphere.

