Web 2.0 revenue models (New Media Dead Pool)

[fingertrouble]

Those of you involved in social media - you're looking at it - might be interested in this article about the profitability of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg - doesn't mention LiveJournal, one of the oldest and original Web 2.0 sites (it almost isn't Web 2.0 and is Web 1.0, apart from the friend interaction...Web 1.5?) but the problems still apply, how do you make money from social media?

Which in one sense is not my concern, in another it is because if these sites fail the networks and data goes with it - and it's very true, these sites are not making any money, they are losing it in large amounts...not a sustainable position in this economy.

Anyway it's an interesting read, especially for those who think the mighty cannot fall (can I say one word: Enron?)

In the comments, in reply to paddbear I created this personal New Media deadpool (top is most likely to go in 2009, bottom is less likely ie. profitable)

1. Digg - does anyone really use social bookmarking anymore?
2. Delicious - ditto
3. Mevio - what used to be Podshow. Oh dear.
4. Multiply - was good 2 years ago, now, no
5. StumbleUpon
6. Odeo and Podomatic - after the demise of Podango, I'd not give these much time
7. Orkut - who? Exactly.
8. Pownce, Jaiku - Twitter copies, less popular though
9. Ustream, Justin.tv, Qik - streaming content is very expensive
10. Blip.tv, Vimeo, Phreadz, Viddler - the lesser known video sites - all that storage is mega$$$s
11. Second Life - all the tier changes are pissing the members off; expensive - others are popping up
12. Livejournal - not going to go yet but obviously feeling the pinch
13. Upcoming.org, Eventful, Meetup.com all those sites - again who uses these still?
14. Bebo - I know no-one on Bebo. Do you?
15. Libsyn - I hope not, I use them. Quite small, and well used, but podcasting has had it's day
16. Seesmic, 12seconds - the more cooler video kids, but not with YouTube's pockets
17. Friendster
18. Blip.fm and Last.fm - music legal issues could make these go the way of Mixwit and muxtape?
19. Twitter - small, yet makes no money
20. Friendfeed - see Twitter but newer and has A-list blogger support
21. LinkedIn - used professionally quite a lot, look after their own - did Facebook buy them?
22. Facebook - big sponsors
23. Youtube - ditto - big pockets
24. Flickr - ditto - big pockets - Google
25. Wikipedia - just had a funding drive - or does that mean it's in trouble?
26. Myspace - has Fox's money, innit, and big with music industry support
27. Ebay - profitable

Oh and to paraphrase my recent Twitter - I hate lists. They are lazy blogging and journalism and are just Google link-bait and comment bait. So I do apologise.

#1 should be 'Posts with lists on blogs' but that's not a social media service, but Top Ten Lists of Pointless Things Cos I Have Nothing To Write And Want Link Referrals is blog-spawn and twitter-spawn at the moment. STOP IT. I mean people are compiling 'Top 30 list of people I Like on Twitter' and such shit.

Does it remind you of school? FFS. Lazy, lazy, lazy - and these people are so-called A-list bloggers and 'stars' of Social Media. I do hope it all crashes and takes their little highschool fiefdoms away. Grrr.

EDIT: First victim of 2009 - Jaiku. Given the comments about Google video, starting to reassess their 'big pockets' - could YouTube, Flickr or Ebay fail?

EDIT2: Apparently Pownce was already dead - LOL

Comments

[paddbear.livejournal.com]

So--which site will be the first to go in 2009?

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

That's the information that pays! Why we need FuckedCompany back...

I'd say Digg and LJ is high on my list - although LJ running off to Moscow might've saved it in the longrun who knows.

Something like (highest is most likely, lowest is less likely)

Digg
Delicious
StumbleUpon
Multiply
Orkut
Pownce, Jaiku
Ustream, Justin.tv
Second Life - all the tier changes are pissing the members off
Livejournal
Upcoming.org, Eventful, Meetup.com all those sites
Bebo ?
LinkedIn - used professionally quite a lot, look after their own
Last.fm - music legal issues
Twitter - small, yet makes no money
Facebook - big sponsors
Youtube - ditto - big pockets
Flickr - ditto - big pockets - Google
Wikipedia - just had a funding drive
Myspace - has Fox's money, innit
Ebay - profitable

[paddbear.livejournal.com]

I don't know about LJ. Valleywag had an article about it. Apparently, it is very, very popular in Russia.

I dunno...I used to twitter and facebok and myspace, and...i guess I'm too old! I dropped them.

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

Well leaving Twitter and all Social Media is the new rock n' roll:

http://twitter.com/1938media

(A few pages back, you see what I mean)

[snousle.livejournal.com]

What is it that makes LJ less than "2.0"? I don't use any of the other sites so I have no idea.

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

well it has the basic Web 2.0 thing down pat - a blog, and friends list.

Doesn't have: status reports, tag clouds, and only fairly recently, a Web API, applications

[shaggycub.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised Friendster is still around. I have a thingie there, but barely check that site much anymore. Another service I'm still suprised is hanging on, ICQ. I still have a (relatively low) number, but again, not something that I use very much anymore.

Apparently, other than Fox's deep pockets, the other thing Myspace has going for it is Myspace Music, which apparently is *the* goto site to break new material on the web-or to help launch a music career. According to NPR, at least, this gives Myspace an edge over Facebook.

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

why I put it lowest in my list - Myspace if it failed would probably be propped up by music industry money, it's that important atm.

Friendster? Yup...I'll add it.

[holy13nation.livejournal.com]

Not too sure about Second Life. If the tier changes are pissing people I wish they'd go. 79,000 last night. It's still growing it would seem. Then again, how many are paying...they may well get rid of that in some way.

[holy13nation.livejournal.com]

Actually, I just tried to log on to SL and, though I got in, the first time I just remained that wispy smoke thing (which is less humiliating than being Ruth'd) and the second time my overcoat only partially rezzed making it look like I was wearing a shoulderless evening gown and my forearm and hand textures were incorrect and multicoloured thereby setting off the evening gown look perfectly with a pair of long gloves.
Forced transvesticism will be the death of it.

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

Less Ruth'd and more Mary'd? LOL

I dunno, people still go there but a lot of the lands I used to go for died a death because of that open space debacle, so I go there far less than I used to. Raising fees during an economic crunch? Risky when places like Avatar Hangout the land is the quarter of the price. What are Linden labs spending it on, golden taps?

Thing is the churn rate on land is terrible - things just disappear overnight. That's not good for keeping people when the very places they go just disappear. I mean the Parkade has had to move 4 times in 2 years, it's that volatile.

And Amanda is having to pay for an island now - if the credit crunch hits her, well I don't see it being kept going - I have no money and neither does Topher...

[holy13nation.livejournal.com]

You have a point.
But I don't understand the deals on some places. Extropia was an open space sim and to deal with the changes they sell land and rent like ordinary sims...but you can rent a small pod for $L250 a week which seems pretty good to me ( a dollar, yes?).

Five attempts at login now and it seems LL have dictated that my look should be this



*sigh*

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

BTW you tried alternative viewers - like this one?

http://avatarhangout.com/index.php?page=download&btn=10

The instructions are for Avatar Hangout, but it looks like it works with SL too - I see a Mac version

[holy13nation.livejournal.com]

Gave it a go and it's a bad link.
I think I just give up for the night. Time to read my book.

How much does the island cost Amanda?

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

I'll ask her.

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

Avatar Hangout is shit btw. Can't even change the basic character. bullshit.