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It's sexy to think of battles. David vs. Goliath. Rocky vs. Apollo. Dallas vs. every other NFL team. In the technology arena, we see many of these skirmishes. Today, let's discuss Google+ vs. Facebook. Myth: Google is trying to "beat" Facebook with Plus. Reality: Google+ is but one plank in Google's platform. Think of it this way. If the Yankees are playing the Red Sox, it's not about who has more hits: Derek Read More
In the book, I write about how I changed my business in 2008 from a very concentrated one into one with many different sources of revenue. I didn't put the visual above in the book but maybe I should have. What does your platform look like? What are the consequences if you don't know?
Platforms are only for big tech companies, right?
Nope. The Age of the Platform extends to just every every industry and thousands of companies.
Don't believe me? Las Vegas-based shoe e-tailer Zappos launched a development site. Let me repeat that: the company sells shoes.
Hardly hi-tech.
Why? What do they expect developers, third parties, and communities to do with an open API? I have no idea, but these people could do something--something big. Something important.
Read MoreGoogle is acting more like a true platform every day. Consider its new privacy policy. To make a long story short, information obtained by Google will be shared throughout its platform. There will be greater integration among planks. For instance, watching a YouTube video on Led Zeppelin might lead to more ads in Gmail related to the 1970s classic rock legends. My Take This isn't surprising. I've been saying for a while now Read More
Should you try to monetize your website? Probably, but it's more important to monetize your business. Not every site can and should be monetized, at least directly. I don't charge people to read my blog posts or watch my videos, but I sure charge them for consulting, speaking, and writing services. Let me put it another way. Few people are able to directly monetize Twitter. Kim Kardashian is one of them. But millions of Read More
Many people, smart people even, equate a website with a platform. I don't buy it. A website should be a plank in your platform. There's a big difference. Your platform should have more than a few planks. In 1998, Google wasn't a platform. It was a very popular search engine. It became a platform by adding many planks: Gmail, YouTube, Docs, Maps, etc.
These days, you can hardly go to a website without seeing integration with Facebook--specifically, that near ubiquitous Like button. But you won't find it on the main Google page (although "sharing" on Facebook via Google Reader is still possible). Interestingly, LinkedIn seems to have forged a partnership with Twitter--or at least seems to think that there's not sufficient overlap between the two services that including a "powered by Twitter" doesn't pose a major threat. Again, Read More
When I talk about the book, I often show the slide above. We are increasingly seeing the Gang of Four collide. In the latest skirmish, there is no an extension for Google Chrome that allows users to circumvent Facebook News Apps. Click here to read more about how you can consume news on one platform while on another. Expect more of these battles--and this is a good thing. Ultimately, the consumer wins.
Anyone see this Fast Company quote from Mark Zuckerberg:
"Our goal is not to build a platform," Zuckerberg says, "It's to be across all of them."
And he alludes to Google+, dismissing it as a "little version of Facebook." My Take Zuckerberg knows that, despite the ubiquity of his company's platform, there are others. He wants Facebook to be a plank in other company's platforms. This means that there will be no one winner in the Read MoreCheck out this fascinating video on the evolution of Google's search engine: In the book, I make the point that platforms evolve. Let's not forget that planks can and should as well. Google today wouldn't be Google if it had remained complacent--and pushed the boundaries of search. In the Age of the Platform, complacency is just about the worst mistake you can make. If you don't cannibalize your own business, your competition will Read More
Read my Inc. Magazine column: All About the Platform.
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