A VC - Latest Comments in Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:05:33 -0000

Thanks

That's a great way to think about this

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Doug Kersten — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:18:08 -0000

Yes, and as you become more reliant on Google, people will begin to fear Google in the way that they did/do Microsoft.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Doug Kersten — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:12:54 -0000

Sure, why not. First there was DOS, Windows (originally built on top of DOS, even today there are bits of DOS around in new versions of Windows), and Word, and Photoshop, and Netscape, IE, and Firefox, then APIs and web-services, etc.etc.etc. Default services built on default services built on default services. Each becoming a new default in its field of expertise. The key is whether the older default is prevalent and does not dramatically change over time (think legacy support in an OS) then successful default functions on top of older default functions can emerge. Developers creating for Facebook have run into this problem when Facebook changes the rules of the game. Without the concept of legacy support built into a default function, so that the provider of the function is not inclined to change the function without negatively impacting functions built on top of it for competitive/product related reasons, I don't think default functions on default functions can succeed. Part of this comes with function maturity. Perhaps e-Bay and Google fit into this category. Although you do see this occurring based on the adoption of the API in modern web applications like Twitter. What happens when 'legacy' support is removed from Twitter? You hear about it. This tends to force Twitter to provide legacy support. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Doug Kersten — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:32:03 -0000

Exactly! This is why Twitter and Facebook are impacting Google, even if they don't want to admit it. Search.twitter.com and Facebook have become my first stopping places, depending on the type of information I am looking for. This can't be good for Google, who was always my first stopping point. In a way Google is conceding this by putting up a 'Most Visited' page, instead of setting Google as the home page in Chrome. They are no longer the default destination but still want to be seen. Fortunately, they are still a most visited page. I wonder what they will do when they don't show up in the top nine any more?

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:15:14 -0000

They'd still need to overcome the default behavior which is now ingrained for almost a decade. Its not easy to do

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

charanjit — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:30:13 -0000

Very insightful article.
Interestingly just came across some data from the Smart phone industry that validates your point of how specialised functions will eat away at Google's search power.

iPhone apps are Google's biggest threat in mobile search - http://blogs.techrepublic.c...

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:12:28 -0000

Competition is a constant. Nobody rules forever. Witness the death of newspapers and the record labels

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

markslater — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:07:33 -0000

i agree - but what has to happen is that the business (seller) is brought meaningfully in to the network - where a pull action (i want something and have taken action to get it) - is cleverly but simply mapped to an organized set of supply constructs that are solving challenges for the seller in real time. The easiest analogy being the restaurant example of filling seats on a slow day. i think that commerce will emerge quickly within the social sphere of a consumer - eating, drinking, dancing, meeting and all services that contribute to these social actions.

Its not enough anymore to share what i am doing - it now has to become about what i WANT to do, and building a light weight set of services that really meaningfully help me with this.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

markslater — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:01:52 -0000

agree. where is the real time contextual craigslist?

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Prokofy — Mon, 25 May 2009 04:39:45 -0000

I'm glad to hear you talk about Google's power waning. It needs to have its power wane in the worst way. It's very important for diversity and freedom that competitors emerge, and not just Yahoo, real competitors with massive numbers of users. Facebook and Twitter are those competitors, but Google is constantly encroaching on them. Wolfram Alpha, as wonky as it seems now, is an important competitor. Even Mahalo, based on its concept, although the execution isn't compelling (yet). Twitter seems to be the most important search competitor now, I definitely search Twitter as much as, if not more than, Google these days.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

jer979 — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:27:36 -0000

Yep. Kind of what Delicious really is all about...could've been about. Search, but filtered by your network of trusted experts.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Ari Herzog — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:08:05 -0000

I bought--and received yesterday--replacement printer ink cartridges off eBay, which is my default service for buying things online. Amazon I continue to equate with books, ingrained for its service long before it entered the marketplace for other goods. I agree it's foolish for wannabe companies to compete with eBay, so maybe they could offer a complementary service or a specific function that is only part of a bigger picture today.

For instance, wouldn't it be great if you could purchase a computer from BestBuy.com, a printer from Staples.com, and a desk from Ikea.com, but instead of visiting three different websites, you could visit one?

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

RacerRick — Sat, 23 May 2009 23:04:52 -0000

My wife, when researching a potential purchase, used to do endless Google searches.

Now she rarely uses google - she asks her friends on Facebook.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

markslater — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:36:34 -0000

next prediction: it will be built in boston ;)

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Michael R. Bernstein — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:42:49 -0000

I think that there are probably a few others. For example, while CL is perfectly adequate for announcing the availability of various things that are either free or being sold for money, it is not very useful for non-monetary transactions such as barter.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:26:20 -0000

Great example of many things. I love it!!!

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:26:19 -0000

Not if you ask howard.

He's irritated that he can't get them to return a phone call or email.

And that the follow/day limit has hurt them

With friends like that who needs enemies?

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:26:15 -0000

I am not sure if software apps fit into this thinking. I am talking about web services and the internet OS not apps that run on the desktop OS

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:26:13 -0000

Social search, eh?

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:26:12 -0000

Etsy and others have shown how to cleave off parts of ebay

I think the way to take on paypal is mobile payments or pssibly social payments

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

fredwilson — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:26:11 -0000

Yes indeed. I am slowly moving my world from microsoft to google and I am starting to love google's apps

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

Facebook User — Sat, 23 May 2009 13:00:28 -0000

I completely agree;

a newcommer can't just compete against a default service without bringing something new to the attract users. my case study is cuil.com and google.com

I've been watching cuil.com which is a search engine by ex-google engineers; their new thing is that they claim they search more pages than google; their result page layout is different than google, but confusing to me.

neither of their claimed advantage over google got me the results I want. I tried cuil.com for a while, but I went back to google.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

JK Wen — Sat, 23 May 2009 08:58:56 -0000

If I may build on this excellent post, I think this attitude is worth applying by thinking from outside the typical industry market segment or strategy. For example, Safaricom in Kenya becomes the largest money transfer provider (a la Western Union) acquiring millions of customers when the traditional financial services are struggling to grow. Safaricom did not intend to be one, but their customers see the service as an outstanding alternative to the "default" behaviour. Recently, CNN did a feature report on how their customers have figured out ways to use Safaricom for banking services, thus dismissing the banks and use Safaricom exclusively to hold their money.

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

dave — Sat, 23 May 2009 08:09:08 -0000

Another example of a friend of Twitter...

http://venturebeat.com/2009...

Re: Default Behavior and the Internet Operating System

bombtune — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:57:23 -0000

This is my music default behavior: http://www.bombtune.com/bom...