With the New York Times calling the beginning of Web 3.0 (not so much, say the trademark holders) and one of the few interesting diggers in the valley getting canned (see meme — did Winer really break this one?) in favor of dollars and cents over T & A, I have to wonder whether the short period of Web 2.0-ness that began with the launch of IE7 has already come haltingly to an end.
I mean, when the personality assassin of Silicon Valley wants to go after the “audience with less interest about trivial scandals and far more interested in the financial impact Silicon Valley has on the world”, I guess, well, we all have to realize that it’s no longer about us, but about them. And about the money. And about the same boring drivel that made the last bubble so disgusting and soulless.
So, whatever, we’re not in a bubble. We’re just in a fucking hamster wheel, racing against time in perpetual beta, waiting for someone to unhook the wheel and let us escape to freedom. Or something.
Bon chance, Darling Nickie-boy!
Factory Joe 
yeah, change is a-coming… and it may not be good, but it *will* be different. i’d still argue it ain’t a bubble, but there’s sure as hell a shakeout coming, u can bet your sweet ajax ass.
while some folks are already starting to use the term “Web 3.0” like it actually means something, i’ve spent the last 3 years trying to figure out if Web 2.0 is anything more significant than Disco.
all i know is this:
1) the new new web is a lot more fun & useful than the old one
2) regardless, you still need a business model to pay the rent
3) VCs invest after the trend, not ahead of it… if they’re buying a lot of X, then likely X has already jumped the shark
in the meantime, enjoy the music and get ready to grab a chair when it stops…
– dave “loving every Web 2.0 minute i get” mcclure
http://500hats.typepad.com/