Design and Development

I feel like today is the day after the lottery for all of web 2.0. You know, the day where you look down on your ticket comparing your numbers to last night’s numbers. Then you sigh. Game over. You just lost your dollar.

Oh wait, but I forgot, the lottery is for under-educated poor folk who are desperate to get rich. What’s the difference between that and the game the Silicon Valley has been playing for the last 2 years? What’s the difference the lottery and the game played in the early 2000’s? From all of this web 2.0 stuff, we’ve basically learned that the exceptions (Google, Youtube, Facebook) got rich, while the rest got/are getting shafted.

However, when one door closes, another one opens.

First, this is a great opportunity for businesses with legitimate, sustainable models to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. More signal, less noise for all of us. Similarly, this is an opportunity for those with unique talents to find themselves in smaller, leaner, more efficient teams. At the end of the day this will reward responsible companies that curb spending and reduce burn-rates.

Second, the opportunities for areas outside of consumer web space finally have a chance to shine. No more showing up for VC pitches only to be asked, “does it come with a Facebook app?”. Companies that focus on selling actual products with actual price tags will be rewarded.

Third, for developers, a whole new world of viable alternatives opens up. The Rails community seems to be happy about the opportunities present in the downturn. However, there is no better time to start your own indie developer shop. For example, maybe it’s time to start desktop development again - the market for Mac software products grows with each day, and incumbent developers will tell you there is a lot of money to be made.

At the end of the day, jobs will be lost, families with be affected, and people will have to search for their own answers. But, we just have to keep our heads up and look for that next open door.