the next big thing

The next big thing on the Internet won't be anything we associated with the web as such, nor based on anything utilizing a browser to interact with. No, the next big thing will the aggregation of services and content embedded in devices, with a native graphical user interface (GUI) or application that can handle all things you - the consumer - wants in one place.

Think about it: Today we look through a window into a big shop (browser/website) where goodies are on display. It might be a small shop like the grocery around the corner or a big mall like MSN or any other portal. It might even be specialized service shop where you get a quick answer to where the shops are you need or who can help you with a certain service.

Now think about Pizza delivery: You sit at home and call up the service and ask them to deliver to your home, office or wherever you are. Or like the well designed and perfectly easy to use IKEA catalogue. You'll find what you need really fast, because it's presented in a concise, compiled way.
This is more like service/streaming, whereas streaming is not the right word - let's call it blizzing instead. Blizzing is where services and goodies are pushed to your lap, so you won’t have to window-shop but rather just pick up the phone and order Nr 19 with extra anchovies or the Billy shelf- both delivered to your home.

Now take a leap...and imagine an application sitting on your device (PC, SmartPhone...) which would pull together all what is available within a certain area - like fashion - off of the web and compile it for you in a "Universe". Instead of searching for the new cool Nike shoe, you would easily zap your way into the Fashion Universe and find the product you're looking for, with links to the shops where it's available.
Next to it, you would see what other people thought about the shoe, the shop, the brand and be able to see the ads and find out more about the cool new T-Shirts that you might purchase at a discount together with the shoe.

Content and services would be pushed to the user for consumption, depending on what preferences he has and always be present allowing for zapping for new experiences too.

Brand Universes is the better way to present content and “advir-tainment” to an audience than the model Google and others apply to the web at the moment.
Think about it: A user hangs out in a brand universe and socialize a bit with friends, chat about the products and even add his own content to the universe he’s in. The sum of all interaction within these universes is much bigger than the content originally put in. Any advir-tainment offered would be appreciated on the basis of referral, by known or unknown participants in such a system.

I see blizzing as the next big thing. Why spend money on building shops people will walk by, when direct marketing and referrals work so much better? This has not hit home yet, but the technology is now here to make this happen.
It won’t be another web2.0 site though. It won’ even be a website. It will be a strong desktop application though, utilizing peer-to-peer technology and on-the-edge architecture to connect millions of users and content/service providers together; more like a new Medium really.

The true genius of web2.0 is not any technology we have seen yet – there hasn’t been any really – but the fact that if you give people the power to do things themselves, then wonders might happen.
Hence blizzing will be bigger than Google, Microsoft, eBay and Amazon together. These companies only offer a shop to buy goodies in, whereas th eBlizz guys will own the phone company you place your orders and communicate through. Who do you think will be the winner?



By Göran Askeljung
04/24/2007


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