Sitting out on the infancy of web 2.0 (Kleiner Perkins/Microsoft) if you don't have eyeballs to appease (Google) makes heaps of sense.
User-generated content (I speak primarily of video as that is my research/startup focus) will be history in many niches as more and more companies get into the business of making excellent, interactive web video content. This superior content will have many unique and unobtrusive ways to be monetized, and in none of the ways (pre-roll, post-roll) ad companies are trying to fit to user-generated content.
I think, as this natural evolution occurs, we will see the likes of Kleiner Perkins and Microsoft bidding high and wide, as the next five years will be very kind to professional content providers.
They are skeptical right now because they should be. The attention span of the average web surfer is short as is his loyalty. A major content revolution is about to occur and it will be fascinating to see who the major players will be, and who (Youtube?) the major players won't be.
I am making a huge and possibly erroneous assumption that these early-stage 2.0 companies can't evolve into what I describe above. I base that assumption on inflexible attachments to branding (hangover from advertising 1.0). Much like a first impression, a brand is a difficult thing to change.
I think, as this natural evolution occurs, we will see the likes of Kleiner Perkins and Microsoft bidding high and wide, as the next five years will be very kind to professional content providers.
They are skeptical right now because they should be. The attention span of the average web surfer is short as is his loyalty. A major content revolution is about to occur and it will be fascinating to see who the major players will be, and who (Youtube?) the major players won't be.
I am making a huge and possibly erroneous assumption that these early-stage 2.0 companies can't evolve into what I describe above. I base that assumption on inflexible attachments to branding (hangover from advertising 1.0). Much like a first impression, a brand is a difficult thing to change.