too much crap!
I’m getting overwhelmed with all of the tools, utilities, and new free services out there to help report, track, organize and “simplify” access to the stuff I actually want/need online. There are too many options from too many start-ups. The tech market is inflating again, which is good and bad at the same time. There are *at least* three problems that are giving me a headache:
1. The noise level: Thanks to “web 2.0″ and the world of RSS feeds I now get tons of info delivered to my inbox every morning. This is a double-edged sword; good in that I have technology working for me and improving my reach, visibility and efficiency; bad in that this much improved visibility causes information overload on a number of levels. There is just too much crap to pay attention to, and just too many information sources (that I actually DO care about) to watch. Either my brain too slow in evolving, or I need a better filter.
2. Flashbacks are bad: Every morning I get my daily dose of updates via FeedBlitz, and it’s usually the stuff I read in TechCrunch that freaks me out. I am again amazed at the number of companies appearing on the radar every day that have a questionable model and provide a nice-to-have feature at best. Didn’t we learn anything the first time around? True, there are an impressive number of useful, high-quality web based apps and tools available today (I’ll post another article on this). There is also a growing balloon of me-too sites that will not be around in a year that offer features not products. In an inflating market with accelerating capital investment, this is bound to happen. Many of the companies launching “featurettes” or Myspace value-adds are out to get acquired quickly. This is not a problem in itself, as thoughtful acquisitions help grow businesses, fund future projects, and enables companies to build quality apps inorganically. In the meantime we get overloaded with the noise and hype from all of these companies trying to provide you with something you think you might want. So, I’m having a flashback to 1999.
3. What’s my username again? With the proliferation of new sites and tools online, It feels like I’m signing up for an account on a new site every freakin’ day. I need a new account everywhere I go in order to use the site or service. I end up either having the browser remember my passwords (bad security practice), use the same credentials everywhere (worse security practice), or write down the ones where the website wouldn’t let me use my usual credentials (even worse security). Hmm…I need an online, single-sign-on tool that also is a general account/password manager. Encrypted password managers and single-sign-on tools have been around for the better part of 10 years, but somehow I haven’t stumbled upon one that actually works.
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