Web 2.0 Expo – Are We There Yet?

I finally got back from Web2.0 Expo in SF.  It was one of those events which attract all sorts of exhibitors, attendees and speakers.  With more than 10,000 attendees (rumor has it at 16,000), it was packed (to the point where, as always, the wireless network was a joke).

 My personal experience at the Expo was mixed.  I spent most of the time at the expo-hall, mingling and talking to exhibitors and attendees.

If the exhibitors reflect existing/upcoming trends, then overall the message is, well, grim.  Of the +100 exhibitors at the conference, I only found a handful few to be exciting and innovative.  As one was cruising from one booth to the next, a feeling “me too” was in the air.  In many cases, when I asked “how are you different from that guy across the hall?”, the reply was “we are better”.  Hmm.

Trend-wise, there were several companies built around mash-up/API/data-extraction tools and services.  From the simple to the complex, from the smallest start up to AOL/MSFT/IBM.  My favorite one in that group is Dapper.  It is so simple to use, it makes some of the more “developer-oriented” solutions seem old and clunky.

Then we had the enterprise wiki companies.  Lots of them.  All were peddling, well, wikis.  Not much differentiation there, no matter what they say.

And of course, social networks.  In all shapes and colors.

Many of the exhibitors were very early stage, to the point where it was unclear to me (and to them) what their conference goals were.  When asked “what are you looking to achieve here” they could not come up with an answer.  Considering how much it costs to participate in one of these events, this is definitely odd (and something their investors should be worried about).

Others could not answer the “what is your business model” question, always going back to features and technology.   Call me a traditionalist, but where I come from (telecom), business models are somewhat important.  Look at it this way – am I likely to incorporate into my application some 3rd party service which has no business model (here today, gone tomorrow)?

Don’t get me wrong, there were some great products and services out there, but I did not sense real excitement.  In most cases it was a clear case of a pure Insider play – Web2.0 companies pitching to other Web2.0 fans, with very few ideas that can become main-stream.

Some of the companies/products I really liked:

Etelos - wow, they made a huge splash.  Applications, development, enterprise. 

G.ho.st - Very cool virtual computer service, one which utilizes Amazon’s S3 storage service.  And it’s an Israeli/Palestinian company, something you don’t see much these days (or ever).

Zude - They’re not an exhibitor, but I did run into their CTO/founder.  Just go to the site.  It defies easy definition.  Going live next month, but lots of info on the site.  Check out ZDNet coverage.

All in all, this was a “business as usual” type event.  Which probably bodes well to the Web2.0 industry as a whole.  See you next time around!

— Oren

p.s.:  Conference presentations (some of them) should be made available, over time, here.