Gjermund's Web

Wikis and Internet Business Models

This is too good to be unposted, at least for my own records.   Check out this video from Podtech.

Robert Scoble , the video guy from channel 9, interviewed Ross Mayfield, , Mr social software, on Wikis. Wikis will change the way employees work together.  Yes, you have the big ugly ERP systems that sometimes speeds up process transaction times, but the really unspoken part and where the HUGE potential lies for enterprises are transparency of information across the organization.  Pushing e-mails with attachments is way too much used, because it’s really inefficient compared to a correctly used wiki, or what about a wiki blog!  Mid way into the video the interview things start to become interesting (probably because I read Ross blog on an off during the last 3-4 years…)

Mid way, the guys track off theme (this is why a Scoble interview might be good) and start to speak about working business models and the next thing on the Internet.  I disagree with Ross that you have to have a clear revenue model, although it makes sense.  We have seen top success histories like Skype with a really vague revenue model and YouTube with only ads to prove that point. But, he does not argue against the You Tubes validation, which of course is ridiculous (USD 1.6 Billion) when there absolutely no clear income model there.  Sure, people says: “Google bought it for their advertising vehicle”, but I really think they bought it before Yahoo or MS got around.  Why? - to protect their own Google Video service - now, that makes sense to me and then they got it cheep, because 2006 is the video year on the Internet!

Now, I guess it’s just a matter of time before Social Text is part of MS, another why?  - because MS need a wiki tool for their business software solutions.  The one they’re launching is not good enough and Ross knows it, check out the J on his face.

.mobi will change the Internet

"dotMobi is the first – and only – top level domain dedicated to delivering the Internet to mobile devices. dotMobi will revolutionise the use of the Internet on mobile devices. dotMobi is designed to guide mobile users to made-for-mobile Internet content and services that can be accessed with confidence.dotMobi is the first – and only – top level domain dedicated to delivering the Internet to mobile devices. dotMobi will revolutionise the use of the Internet on mobile devices. dotMobi is designed to guide mobile users to made-for-mobile Internet content and services that can be accessed with confidence"  clipped from dotMobi.

So, is this a new money machine for domain registrar companies?  YES

So, it will not change the Internet?  YOU'RE WRONG BUDDY!

and this is why:

• Stakeholders in the .mobi project are Telecom, Internet and Software Industry leaders, such as: Nokia, Vodafone, Google and Microsoft. They make business on traffic on the Internet and in wireless networks, and the way we access Internet is their main target here.
• .mobi sites will be designed for mobile devices, meaning it will be enjoyable to visit them even with slower network speed and tiny screens. The .mobi domain will become the mobile surfers guarantee that the web site visited will respond in a good way.
• .mobi will, as sites pops up, gradually enable full Internet access to all mobile users around the globe, also in areas with no land lines, and this will increase Internet usage dramatically. To use .mobi in marketing will become of great importance within 24 months.  Will marketing of sites look like this: - Get your new mobile on: amazon.com/.mobi or - Be updated on cnn.com/.mobi?
• Search!  Google has already a new search service targeting mobile prepared web sites.  Others will follow, since mobile web search is the new search area for growth, think about that!
• New business ideas targeting mobile devices is nothing new, but .mobi will add jet fuel to this development - based on the points above.

I've read that some executives in large companies and Internet analytics been claiming that this is not something that will change anything, since their existing web sites can also target mobile devices.  They claim that the .mobi is a hype with no other value that protecting their brand.

OK, you're right from the conservative viewpoint, but did you forget the user experience? Ask yourself these questions:

• How will the user know if your .com site will be designed for my mobile device?
• Will the user take the chance that your web site is prepared for mobile devices, lets say; within the next 5 years?
• Can your business live with this question marks in the near future, when businesses have to target mobile devices?

Alright I can't, and I have for now secured my .mobi domain interest, but to my big surprise have several large companies not done this? E.g. - here in Norway, believe it or not, it seams that even some of the leading media companies have already lost out on securing their domains.

Well, this is IPR control in practice and somebody is not paying attention. Who's gonna pay if this really takes off?  Norwegian press is so far staying away from this blunder... no wonder since two of the largest media sites (dagbladet.no and aftenposten.no) have already lost their .mobi domains.  I should really receive provision from the .mobi consortium for my views, just yesterday - I made a friend secure his personal name interests. I told him that even if it does not take off it could be cool to have, right BAB :-)

Tip for Internet start ups

Litterature about how to make successful Internet Startups is under constant development.  I spend time in 2001 during my MBA to study Business litterature on Internet Strategy.  They are today expired on date as Internet companies were a new theme for the business professors around the globe.  They wrote about the first and now classical cases as Amazon and E-Bay and why pet.com did not make it.

Of special interest today is that stuff that worked for Yahoo, E-Bay or Amazon is not necessarly what will work for your start up today. I just discovered a relevant short list from Evan Williams on 10 Rules For Web Startups that might be a valuable input for existing and new out of the box Internet Startups.  It got me thinking :-)