"What I wanted to do was create an efficient market, where regular people could compete with big business ... it was a little bit of an experiment." Pierre Omidyar, eBay founder started his business after Labor Day weekend in 1995. His first posted item was a broken laser pointer that sold for $14.83. In 16 years, this “experiment” has grown into a company that boasts over 90 million users generating nearly $2,000 in sales per second. Not bad for a corporation that has existed entirely on the World Wide Web.
In The Cluetrain Manifesto, David Weinberger addresses the purpose of the Web in his chapter titled, The Longing. He states, “This fervid desire for the Web bespeaks a longing so intense that it can only be understood as spiritual. What is missing is the sound of the human voice.” The creators of eBay initially promoted a business that focused on selling items, but with the introduction of Meg Whitman, the original business model was thrown out. The focus was no longer selling. The focus became a marketplace for a world wide community. eBay was about people and their voice. Countless articles have been written about the success of eBay. A visit to its site provides a detailed source for history and mission. The message is clear; eBay is a forum for the human voice.
When reading Weinberger’s theory of the purpose of the Web, I was not surprised by the theory but I was surprised at the implication that this was a new idea. A multitude of voices sharing ideas and information is the foundation of communication. The Dithyrambs of Ancient Greece were performed by fifty men and played to audiences that numbered in the thousands. These presentations grew into yearly play festivals, attended by thousands and analyzed by Aristotle. They introduced the world to the works of Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. They defined communication through human voice. It’s not a surprise that Weinberger acknowledges the desire for human communication. The surprise is the new definition of “voice”. In The Cluetrain Manifesto, we see a changing world. Voice is no longer associated only with the spoken word. Voices can now exist in cyber space. It can be anonymous, secretive, expressive and imaginative. It can be powerful. It has no sound, but it can speak volumes. It’s electronic.
I joined the world of the internet in January 1997. I still remember the moment that I signed up for America Online. The rush to become a part of this new form of communication was so large; a busy signal was common when attempting to log on. In fact, the best time to log onto the Internet was after . It was so difficult to get online that users would maintain their connection throughout the day. I remember spending free time “surfing the net.” I wasn’t really looking for anything; I was just looking. Each click of the mouse provided a new message, idea, or product. The message boards were fascinating and the chat rooms were addictive. Yes, I was one of the millions who stayed up all night chatting with people. The idea that I could sit in my apartment and have a conversation with another human being on the other side of the world was amazing. It was immediate, long distance, and toll free.
Ten years ago, the authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto claimed the World Wide Web would be “the end of business as usual.” I have certainly experienced this in my line of work. I used to promote theatre with newspapers, television, radio and posters. I still use these tools, but now there are countless Internet sites that I also use to promote my work. Yes, the Internet was the end of business as usual. But there is no “end” to the Internet and what it has to offer a business. Using message boards and chat rooms have quickly become obsolete. Home pages are out of date. Everyone has a blog now, and most people under the age of thirty rarely check their email. All of the time invested by organizations in creating email lists, blast lists and web sites has now been eclipsed by the need to create Facebook and Twitter accounts. Just when we thought we had our website the way we liked it, we have found out we’re behind the curve in the social media craze. Now we are trying to catch up. Business as usual has changed once more.
If we have learned anything over the last 15 years, we know that in several years Facebook and Twitter will be replaced by something new. I mean, didn’t they replace MySpace and Pod Casts? What won’t change is the need for communication. Human beings will always need an outlet for their voice. Weinberger states, “Nothing is more intimately a part of who we are than our voice. It expresses what we think and feel…Our voice is our strongest, most direct expression of who we are.” Throughout history, humans have understood this concept. It worked for Aristotle and it continues to work for Pierre Omidyar. The message hasn’t changed. The venue has.
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