The Internet used to be a lot “flatter”.<\/p>\n
Last decade, there really weren’t any major points of control. \u00a0If you had an idea for a new app or content site, it was pretty much a level playing field, and you could largely control your destiny. \u00a0The browser was a major point of control, but that was very “horizontal” — few Internet companies worried about bumping into Netscape or Microsoft as a competitor.<\/span><\/p>\n Now, the world is quite different.<\/p>\n Google emerged as the first gorilla, becoming the “starting point” for many Web sessions. \u00a0Most Internet companies are now hugely dependent on Google, directly or indirectly. \u00a0 SEO-dependent companies can find their fortunes change overnight, and Google’s “quality score”\u00a0manipulations\u00a0can materially affect an SEM budget (and usually not in the favorable direction).<\/p>\n Facebook is the next gorilla, especially with their recently announced strategy<\/a> to own the social fabric for the Internet. \u00a0They’re a major “attention point” for many users, and it’s hard to consider a new Internet idea without a Facebook strategy.<\/p>\n Twitter is a gorilla-wannabe, but it’s not clear if they’ll win (long-term) over Facebook status updates. \u00a0But the Twitter ecosystem got a splash of cold water with the news of Tweetie’s acquisition<\/a>. \u00a0Many app developers are now wondering if they’ll end up competing with Twitter.<\/span><\/p>\n And finally, Apple is emerging as a gorilla wildcard. \u00a0They don’t have leading market share overall, but their mobile devices (iPhone, iPod, and now the iPad) are dominating and defining their categories. \u00a0The App Store is a huge improvement over the carrier’s closed systems, but it’s hardly open. \u00a0Apps are approved at Apple’s pleasure, and can be un-approved at any time, without reason or notice.<\/p>\n The Internet’s Darwinian era seems to be over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Internet used to be a lot “flatter”. Last decade, there really weren’t any major points of control. \u00a0If you had an idea for a new app or content site, it was pretty much a level playing field, and you … Continue reading