My Edge

Sometime in my past, perhaps when I was at Trilogy around 2001, I remember hearing advice that went something like this: Good businesses and products need an edge — something that makes them unique — but even more than just being different, an edge is internal — something that makes you see the world differently.

This resonates with multiple perspectives that I’ve heard recently. First, in Getting Real, 37Signals explains that Web developers should build products that polarize; the product should really excite some people and really turn off others. In other words, don’t try to be everything to everyone.

Second, many user experience designers (such as Kathy Sierra) talk about creating passionate users.

For a good period of time, I was unaware of my own edge when it came to the Web. After attending several conferences, meeting some great people, and having lots of conversations, it is becoming clearer.

My edge is straightforward:

We must use the Web to make people’s lives better!

We must give people a meaningful reason to spend their time on the Web. (Guy Kawasaki emphasizes that entreprenuers should strive to make meaning rather than to only make money.)

What does this really mean? Anyone can make the marketing claim that “we are making people’s lives better.” But think deep down, beneath your own marketing message, and ask yourself the philosophical question: “Am I making the world a better place?”

Again, there are lots of ways to make people’s lives better — and lots of room for diverse ways to do this. But I have to ask this: is Twitter making your life better? I think we need to be more skeptical of technology.

Please do not try to market products to customers that do not make their lives better. Don’t try to “capture” their eyeballs. People are already overloaded with information and decisions to make. Don’t trick or confuse customers. Give them real choices; don’t bundle options in such a way that people cannot make meaningful choices.

Evaluating New Technology

Personally, I am not particularly energized or fulfilled by making technology unless it makes meaning — even if it employs cool technology such as social networking, tagging, RSS feeds, or AJAX. Along those lines, I have two somewhat complementary ways to evaluate the merits of Web technology:

• Technology can be a means to an end. Is the end valuable? To individuals? To groups? For example, technology that helps groups solve grassroots problems together is meaningful to me.
• Technology can enable processes that help people do good things. Is the process valuable? For example, show me technology that helps people think more clearly, that helps people make better decisions according to their values, that helps a country function better — that is what excites me.

I try to ask these questions when I see new technologies and businesses. I am naturally opinionated and cannot help from judging technologies by the above criteria. However, I also try to be open minded: technology is changing the ways we communicate and opening doors we had not thought of before. Some technologies that were considered toys or frivilous yesterday are now becoming meaningful. (Update: Jane McGonical spoke at ETech about games that also have social meaning, I think her work is fantastic. Stay tuned for World Without Oil, slated to launch on April 30.)

I went to lunch with a former co-worker recently. She told me that she is bothered that many young people are looking more to MySpace for their identity, and less to traditional places such as family, real friends, and neighborhoods. She has concerns about safety and trust in their virtual communities. She is also worried that young people are more and more susceptible to marketing through these kinds of mediums. The point is not whether I agree or disagree. What is important is that we were talking about the core of what is meaningful to her. I encourage entrepreneurs to get to their core and find their meaning — and build a project, company, or community accordingly. It will fuel you in a more satisfying way than just striving for dollars.

2009-03-30 Update: It is cool to see that Tim O’Reilly agrees with what I’m talking about!