Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

Web 2.0 Fails, Gives Geeks Bad Restaurant Advice

sandwich board.jpgWe know there are plenty of smart people doing lots of interesting things on the Web. But there's also a lot of time and money-wasting dressed up as something else. Dan "Fake Steve Jobs" Lyons, who has been covering the Emtech conference in Boston using Twitter, explains why Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed et al fall into the second category, and why that's not a good thing. And yes, he relays the story on his blog:

One thing that struck me is that in trying to explain what Web 2.0 or Web 3.0 is all about, the geeks kept coming back to this example of how they had been trying to find a good restaurant in Boston and how their cool social networking tools and collaborative filters had enabled them to do such a great job of this restaurant hunting task because, like, Facebook and Twitter are so much better for this than just a Google search because, like, I don’t need a Google search bringing up a list of every restaurant in Boston, I want a filtered search relying on people I trust, people in my network.

Advertisement

.... If I were funding these guys I might go home scratching my head about what those kids are doing with all of my millions. Maybe there is a point to what they’re doing, but honestly, what great problem are these companies trying to solve? Sitting there watching this spectacle — watching these guys unable to simply explain what they do and and how they are going to make a business out of it – it was staggering to think that someone has entrusted these people with very large sums of money. But someone has. I weep for those people.

The punch line: The geeks Dan is watching end up going to a crappy Boston restaurant.

Bonus, unsolicited advice for Newsweek: What are you thinking? Why is your employee posting this stuff on his own blog instead of your paint-drying-dull site? Get it up there asap!

Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account