Remember when Virtual Reality was going to be the future of online interaction? Or when the Information Superhighway was the speedy road to success? We've been through Cyberspace, where all the previously-named Virtual [blanks] became Cyber [blanks], and then we landed in the middle of Dot Com. At first it was the Dot Com Industry, and then the Dot Com Craze. And now it's forced to reside in the Land of Failed Business Models as the Dot Com Bubble or Dot Bomb. These were all the best new ways to describe the best new thing. But was it something new, or was it just a new label? Was it a better product or a better buzzword?

Where are we now? We're still getting used to the newest word: Web 2.0. Nothing says “new and improved” like “2.0”. Of course, the Internet isn't really “new and improved”. No one has sat down and designed a brand new World Wide Web. But the name is perfect. It's perfect for a fresh start and a second chance. Investors get a little twitchy when things like “bubbles” go and “burst”. “New and Improved” is the perfect way to get them to come back.

But no one really seems to be sure what Web 2.0 actually applies to. There is no massive, all-encompassing upgrade to the Internet. No change in underlying technology. The phrase seems to apply to those newcomers that involve customer interaction. What are they called? You know, those things that allow users to post their opinions on literally anything they want... and in an environment where users can respond with their own opinions. What are they called? BBSes? No, wait – Homepages? Oh, right. Blogs. That's it. They're blogs now. Of course. Silly me.

And since we haven't been able to clearly define what Web2.0 encompasses, we begin to develop new buzzwords to describe our first buzzwords. It's a vicious cycle. We've created phrases like “social networking,” the “semantic web,” and – like the cyber- and virtual- days before it – we've started tagging a precious “2.0” to the back of all our other industry titles. When I see an advertisement for Lawn Care 2.0 I'm walking away from my marketing job and never coming back.

There is another problem with this particular buzzword, and that is the question whether or not it actually describes anything new and different at all. Is it really all that impressive that people are using a world wide network to... network?

Sure, we're delivering information at more phenomenal rates than ever before, which allows us to change some of the mediums that carry that information... but other than that, the only thing that seems to have changed is the venture capitalist willingness to throw money and Internet companies again.

And who wouldn't want to? After all, social networking and other web applications have made billions... if, of course, they happen to get purchased by Microsoft, Yahoo, or Google.

I've been a writer for years. I also have the potential to make millions of dollars from a book. After all, a bunch of other authors have done so. I think I'm a pretty good author, and I could probably tell a story that is a lot like those million dollar books. And yet, no one has thrown a lot of venture capitol my way. There must be something wrong with them.

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