How Web 1.0 is like a Las Vegas Casino
Although I’m currently in Barcelona, I spent 4 days in Las Vegas. It doesn’t take long for anyone to come to the realization that Las Vegas (and just about everything in it) is designed to take your money.
A big indicator is the lack of transportation infrastructure on the strip, taxis are a form of a ‘dongle’ requiring guests to use them to quickly get around. The strip is large enough to accommodate a tram system or even a train system. The existing train systems are inefficient and expensive.
Once inside one of these gambling monoliths everything has been designed to keep guests in: Lack of lighting, confusing signage, not a lot of clear exit signs, flowing drinks, and no clocks to remind you you’ve missed dinner with the spouse.
[Like Las Vegas casinos, websites were previously designed to Centralize customers and make it difficult for them to leave]
Websites in the first wave (Web 1.0) are a lot like modern Las Vegas Casinos. Transportation systems are designed to reel users in (from search campaigns to affiliate link agreements) those content portals are designed to suck users in, and keep them there using internal linking systems, and most outbound links are in the form of advertisements.
Imagine if communities have assembled on the streets, on the strip and are starting their own parties and gambling tables. They’re using cheap and easy-to-use technologies to create their own casinos complete with buffets and they don’t necessarily need a casino to be there. Fortunately for the real Vegas, this type of activity is illegal.
Sadly, for the modern web (what many call Web 2.0) the party has already taken to the streets. Consumers, members, and users are creating their own websites, communities, and are attracting advertising. They’re talking about their your brand and mine, and are influencing others.
[Now, customers are creating their own communities in the ’streets’ we must plan for a Distributed Web Strategy as we join the party]
Savvy brands will need to go to the streets, where the community is, and join the party in addition to continue building their own house out. This is why we need to open the door, after looking out the window, but not stare in the mirror.
Embrace the distributed web strategy.
Are you in Bareclona? I’m here at Forrester’s Consumer Forum as a speaker, and am also co-organizing a community event for any Barcelona bloggers in the area on Thursday, hope to see you there.
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There are more exits than ever, but there are also more doors in. And more opportunities to do business in places other than your walled garden.
Only “sadly” if we try manage this apparent chaos. Better that we dive in, get a little crazy, and go beyond “here is our product, take it or leave it” mentality. Good analogy that should make sense to those who don’t quite get this yet. Thank you.
Last week I was in Berlin (Germany) for the Web 2.0 Expo and Kathy Sierra said on thing that I would like to share with you…
“The user must have an ‘I Rule!’ experience”
Today the focus has to be on the customers and on their ’street parties’… they define the rules of the game…
Actually, as you said, they are choosing and even creating the games that they like to play!
Now from my point of view what is crazy it’s seeing that for some ‘casino owners’ is still difficult to open their eyes on the reality of the facts!
Andrea
Jeremiah,
Good to see you at Blogworld, however briefly. This post was right on target, as I was aggrevated by all those issues while in Vegas. Getting from the convention center to the hotel on Friday after Cuban’s keynote was a monumental task.
Have you read Snowcrash? If not, read it. You’ll love the idea of a virtual transit system on a completely imaginary world. Read it, and then look at the publication date. hah. You should check out the smart growth community, and then apply to how you think about social networking. You’re blog is interesting. I’m going to HK this weekend and stumbled across it looking for fun things to do.
ciao _OH
Thanks Olwen! I record my journeys from my blog, as my passion for the web has lead me around the world! (As I write from Barcelona)
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