Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Jonathan Cohen — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 21:43:07 -0000

I think the main reason Kiko failed was impatience.

Impatience by investors not letting the market for Web-based apps mature.

I wrote a post about this. The apps out there are so rudimentary that we're still in the feature checklist stage that we saw with word processors in the 1980s.

Having an ecosystem of competing apps ensures that new features are tested out, dropped, or shared around.

But it takes *time*. And I get the sense that we're accelerating again; that there's no room for the 'two people who whipped up an app over the weekend' and who'll wait to see what happens.

Keep killing off the geese and eventually you'll kill the golden one, too.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Christopher Coulter — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:25:20 -0000

Ok, then, I agree...

think that a hi-rez video is the “killer” and most necessary feature.

Yeah, funny that. I hear this endless shop-talk all the time with these supposed cutting-edge Videographers, never mind that seemingly no one cares or can play such high-res back. This from the 'shoot-6-hours have-no-plan, fix-it-in-editing' types. And I am not against a good look, 24P rocks my world, but the writing, the content is still king.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Goebbels — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 10:53:33 -0000

Christopher, last I read Scoble is using iMovie not FCP.

And my cheap comment has less to do with spending and more to do with lack of expertise and solid business practices. Experts know what the best tools are and use them. Good business practices tells you that you get a return on your investment. Amateurs on the other hand don't know what the good tools are and woulden't know how to use them to their advantage anyway and think that a hi-rez video is the "killer" and most necessary feature.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

nevf — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 21:14:11 -0000

It will be nice when the day comes that every person with an Internet connection has a chunk of remote, encrypted web space they can use to host apps, store data etc.

Until then relying on some third party that doesn't have a sustainable business model, to host your all important data, is plain crazy stuff.

I touched briefly on this in my comment to this blog post http://libraryclips.blogsom... with relation to my product, Surfulater. I'll keep my important information where I can touch it, secure it and back it up, thank you very much. I don't think the Web 2.0 folks get this.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Robert Scoble — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 17:40:16 -0000

Yeah, don't tell our VCs about the crazy whiskey parties we're gonna have over in Half Moon Bay! :-)

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Christopher Coulter — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 17:35:22 -0000

is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

They aren't too cheap (Final Cut Pro is not a cheap app), it's just you need that APPEARANCE of being frugal -- just read between the lines here.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Robert Scoble — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:39:38 -0000

Mike: Outlook was developed before the Web took off. By the way, you do remember why AJAX was invented, don't you? To do a Web-based version of Outlook.

But, yeah, now that I'm cross-platform (most businesses only care about Windows) Google Calendar will be better for me but I still hate it.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Al Pascual — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 14:54:36 -0000

So sad. Awesome product

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

malatmals — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 14:11:55 -0000

You'll love Google Calendar w/your Mac :D

Because they both support standards and can communicate unlike Outlook whose engineers must have recieved orders from the top to remain non-standardized.

Here's an example of cool ways you can share your events. Click on it from your Mac. webcal://feeds.technorati.c...

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

joeduck — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:34:27 -0000

An excellent, and ominous, post. It's easy to forget all the failures and point to the handful of success stories. Ironically many successes (most?) came from nowhere to be the next big thing. Myspace and Google come to mind.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Karim — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:24:19 -0000

I would predict a failure for Podtech.net based on the fact that the company got VC millions but is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

I wouldn't call it a predictor of death so much as, ah... an area of concern. Like coughing up blood. Something you might want to have checked out. ;-)

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Granville Barnett — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:23:36 -0000

Like you Robert if the calendar won't sync with my windows mobile device then i really can't see myself using it unless it was amazingly cool and even then I'd have doubts.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Mehul Patel — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:20:47 -0000

Hi Robert, thanks again but seems none of the Don Dodge URL's are working??!

-
Regards,
Mehul Patel
MD & CEO
KIPL.Net - Digital Services
URL: http://www.KIPL.Net

http://www.mozomo.com – Coming soon to a WAP Browser near you :)

'e–magination is more important then knowledge'

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Rob Bazinet — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:00:54 -0000

Alan,

Your right, it's just my opinion about their business model. The fact remains, they failed, which should indicate a lack of something, a realistic business model maybe.

I don't know, I just don't see how anyone could possibly make money with a calendar when you have Google giving it away. I can't see a value-add where someone would pay for it.

It will be interesting to see if anyone picks it up off of eBay. It seems like a strange place to dump something if it had any real value.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Chris Van Patten — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 11:26:53 -0000

It's a shame, Kiko was one of the better online calendar apps available. Unfortunately GCal took it down because of the gmail integration... Kiko could have been great if they had a business model.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Alan Wilensky — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 11:19:17 -0000

Robert, Maybe you should to talk to David Biesel, the VC who hosted Kiko at the Boston Web innovators conference back when..I was there, and I dissagree with the opinion that they did not have a business model; indeed they had many good ideas, but probably not enough liquidity to endure.

I might track them down and do a vlog entry on the story behinf the story.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

James Brown — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:51:58 -0000

For those interested in syncing Google Calendar with Outlook, I use http://sourceforge.net/proj... which seems to work pretty seamlessly.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

engtech — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:49:19 -0000

I finally figured the secret to getting all my calendars to synchronize using Outlook, and open source software (Funambol).

I wrote up a guide on how to do it.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

James — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:44:48 -0000

I rather gofor outlook, since my pda is bundled with microsoft activesync. i dont have to rely on any of the webapps. But still i had thought of ms coming up with a ajax based webcalendar.. Fingers Crossed

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

J Maddrell — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:35:06 -0000

Just stumbled on a blog using web based calendar Trubma: http://www.trumba.com

Appears to sync with Outlook. Haven't tried it, but it looks promising on the surface. Per the site:

About Trumba Corporation

Trumba was founded by CEO Jeremy Jaech, VP of Product Development Ted Johnson, and Chief Software Architect Peter Mullen in late 2003. Previously, this team co-founded Visio (acquired by Microsoft in 2000) and were key developers of Aldus PageMaker (where Jaech was one of the original founders); Aldus was acquired by Adobe in 1997. Another founding member of the management team is Clyde McQueen, previously from Aldus and most recently with Amazon.com, who is managing the software development group.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Rob Bazinet — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:34:17 -0000

Robert, the link from Don Dodge points out something very obvious with some of the junk in so-called Web 2.0, these companies and Kiko in particular are producing a feature not a product.

Kiko failed because they were just a calendar and nothing else. A calendar should be a feature of a suite like in 37Signals Basecamp.

The example of Kiko shows lack of planning with no business model. How can a calendar ever generate revenue unless you plaster ads all over the place, which no one wants to see. I think we will see other Kikos, they will have the same root problem, no plan, no business model and no way to become profitable.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Rob Stevens — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:22:36 -0000

Robert ... want to sync your Google Calendar with Outlook (and thus, your Smartphone)?

http://sourceforge.net/proj...

It's a little clunky, but once you have it set up, it just works.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Daniel Jalkut — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:03:20 -0000

I think Kiko was an interesting stab at the problem but ultimately it simply wasn't "insanely great" enough to beat the odds. I don't think their failure is a sign of any collapse. Merely that web software now has to be truly amazing or truly unique (is there a difference?) if it's going to succeed. Kiko was, by my recollection, plagued with the kinds of usability bugs caused by "too many features, too fast." If they'd started with more of a BaseCamp style mentality who knows how things would have gone.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

pheloxi — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 09:37:42 -0000

web two dot zero is going to be internet bubble two dot zero. it is also hype two dot zero.

the two dot zero movement does not notice that it is marketing tool instead of devolopement tool. some things that work and others do not.

the majority of the people follow fashion. some parts will be like that people will keep on use and it other parts disapears.

conclusion:
the web evolves. you can not number it like software.

this rises an question hom many people download the newest software. they use do they realy look at develope number or just notice there is new version on web.

how many do know the developement number ms windows vista? how many are just waiting for ms windows vista? if ms windows 6 was released would be know that is ms windows vista? remember there are more people who are not geeky.

pheloxi waiting for the internet fad two dot zero.

Re: Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

Abby — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 08:55:31 -0000

I'm an outlook addict. Wud've loved if Windows Live Mail desktop beta's calendar was slick. Instead it links to the lame Hotmail/MSN caledar. I hope something like Windows Live Mail is coming for calendar as well.

Anyone heard anything?