Web 2.0 on the Ropes. . . Kleiner Perkins Halts Investments - SVW

Tom Foremski caught a passing remark from a Kleiner Perkins partner, Randy Komisar, which he interprets as ‘we are no longer investing in Web 2.0 companies.’ In the blowbank, Komisar qualified what he said — or what Foremski heard — but still…

I think Web 2.0 is played out as a metaphor, and not for the deep inner thinking by Tim O’Reilly of the ‘web as a platform’ or whatever else Web 2.0 was supposed to mean.

Web 2.0 was once a forward leaning metaphor, but now is only relevant as backwards-oriented map.

What we learned is that the most important part of Web 2.0 is social. The social web has remade the world, and the rest turns out to be plumbing.

KP is still investing in social, and social is still changing the world. Lots left to go.

Tom Foremski on Who’s Who In The Blogosphere

Tom has a very sensible bit of advice for those who want to know who’s who in their corner of the blogosphere:

[from The metrics of influence—the mania for measuring the blogosphere]

Finding the right metrics to measure a blog’s value as an influencer will never be as simple as measuring numbers of links, comments, trackbacks, Alexa rank, Technorati rank, etc. Because you have to understand the context of each blog and how it fits into its online communities. And you can only do that by being involved in those communities, online and offline.

Let me say it again: the best way to figure out who the important bloggers are in your sector is to go into the online communities as a participant. It’ll become apparent very quickly.

I’m lucky to be be publishing a popular and influential news blog. Yes, I’m happy that the numbers are very good, but I don’t look at them that often. The metrics that please me the most is when I hear back from readers, from emails, from comments.

What I love the best is when I meet people, from the trenches to the boardroom, and they tell me “I read you and I share you with my team.” That’s the kind of feedback that energizes me and makes me feel that I have one the best jobs in the valley.

I agree wholeheartedly. I had a number of people say similar things to be at ETech and Under The Radar, and it felt great. I was on the phone with a client Friday and he mentioned my recent surge in creativity, and said that he was really digging the stuff I am cranking at /Message. It really pumped me up, considering how cool the technology is that he was demoing.

[Pointer from Steve Rubel]