Steve Hodgkinson
Australian Web 2.0 top 100 - 'SOA in the wild' in action
We coined the phrase 'SOA in the wild' to refer to a jungle where Web 2.0 start-ups fight it out to survive the culling process of natural selection to become building blocks in a global service-oriented architecture (SOA). Here are some tough little Australian critters on the up.'SOA in the wild' refers to the progressive decomposition of what historically would have been integrated on-premise applications into web services components in the Web 2.0 style. This is the realm of thousands of start-ups around the world, each trying to develop a robust web service and the critical mass of users required to pass on their genes to the next generation - typically via a trade sale to a bigger web services company or inclusion in a platform-as-a-service offering. A list of the top 100 Web 2.0 offerings in Australia was recently published by Ross Dawson's Sydney-based firm Future Exploration Network, and can be viewed at: http://rossdawsonblog.com/weblog/archives/2008/06/official_launch.html.Here is my pick of the ten most interesting, quirky and innovative - not necessarily true to any pure definition of 'Web 2.0', but interesting nonetheless. Put them on your hunting list if any of these innovations appear useful.3. Redbubble - www.redbubble.com - an art gallery and creative community where artists can upload art and sell it in many formats. Over 100,000 items sold in 71 countries in the first financial year. Has raised $3.7 million in funding.4. 3eep - www.3eep.com - a social networking platform covering sports from national to school level for sports enthusiasts, players, teams and parents, allowing discussions and photo and video sharing. Has licensed the platform in Australia, Canada and Germany, and is also run as a standalone social network.10. Retailmenot - www.retailmenot.com - a community sharing discount coupons with major presence in the US. Provides multiple ways to access coupon information, including through widgets, gadgets and browser plug-ins.13: Rememberthemilk - www.rememberthemilk.com - a service providing web, mobile and IM shareable to-do lists with features including location. Over 500,000 users globally.15. StreetAdvisor - www.streetadvisor.com - a site where residents rate their streets and localities on criteria such as public facilities, noise and neighbourly spirit, and write reviews. Users earn 'streetcred' and 'local experts' are appointed. The primary focus is on Australia, US, UK and Canada, but it has been launched in many other countries.19. COzero - www.cozero.com.au - a service to calculate and offset personal and business carbon emissions. Includes the ability to publicly share carbon emission profiles and utilities such as car pooling.24. Mebeam - www.mebeam.com - a service for web-based video conferencing providing instant live video calls for up to 16 people simultaneously.30. BugMeNot - www.bugmenot.com - a service to enable web users to bypass websites' compulsory registrations by sharing logins and disposable email addresses.35. PickupPal - www.pickuppal.com - a service to match drivers of private vehicles to passengers or packages to be picked up, enabling the payment of an agreed fee and providing user-contributed driver ratings.66. NotGoodEnough! - www.notgoodenough.org - a consumer feedback site to voice gripes or compliments about companies. Companies are provided with updates and the opportunity to engage directly with consumers.It is a jungle out there, and it is by no means certain that any of these companies will survive on their own. The lucky will pass on their more useful adaptations to a subsequent, and more powerful, generation. The merely useful will be devoured for food and absorbed without a trace. The totally unlucky will just die of starvation, their bleached bones lying on the savannah to discourage further followers.
