The Next Engine: Beyond Campaign Thinking

From Chris Shipley:

“The Web 2.0 Cycle Has Come to a Close. For much of the last three years, technology industry pundits have hyped Web 2.0 as the Big Thing that fundamentally changes the business of the Web. We think it’s pretty clear now that Web 2.0 has been more of a hype cycle than a business cycle.

Unlike the Dot Com cycle before it, the Web 2.0 phase hasn’t created tremendous business value for entrepreneurs or their investors. But the social Web - the true definition, we think, of this most recent wave - has sparked tremendous innovation. It has given us the “operating systems” for social networks, the culture of conversation and engagement, the discipline of rapid and disruptive development, and the technology basis on which to build reliable, scalable Web applications. In short, it’s delivered a platform on which to build the next phase of the Web.”

From Stowe Boyd:

“One of the most salient trends — one that I think trumps others — will be the rise of localism. As nation states increasingly falter, and lose relevance we will see people shifting their sense of belonging away from mass organizations and political constructs, like nationalism and global religions.”

And this unrelated, but hilarious quote from Demetri Martin:

“I was making pancakes the other day and a fly flew into the kitchen. And that’s when I realized that a spatula is a lot like a fly-swatter. And a crushed fly is a lot like a blueberry. And a roommate is a lot like a fly eater.”