I’m all for competition (after all it’ is one of the driving factors in improving services). The only entity who gains when there is a monopoly is the single entity which is the monopoly, BUT, it seems to me that there is suddenly an explosion of websites, which all offer (essentially) the same services..
Let me expand. I’m talking about sites like flickr and Ringo, and to some extent ‘networking’ sites like myspace and facebook.
Does the web really NEED more than a handful of sites like these? Now Language / Geographical variations I could understand, but there is a plethora of these sites all in English !
And do not even get me started on the INSANE number of blog services which all essentially ape Livejournal.
If the existing ( nd established) services are invitation only (like livejournal used to be), I can understand a need for a free open-to-all service. But, livejournal has been “non-exclusive’ since the end of 2003. As I write that is four years ago!
“Why is she bitching about competition to Lj when using a wordpress blog?”, I hear you ask, and the answer is that WP and LJ are just different enough to merit co-existing. WP is where ‘commercial’ or ‘professional’ bloggers appear to hang out. LJ is where people go to (largely) make closed friends-only posts to cement an already existing social network. Or, just to create a purely (and wholly) private online diary. I have an LJ. And it is “friend’s locked’, but as the web grows, and search indexing tools become more and more sophisticated, only a very bland or very reckless person would want to totally link their public and private online persona.
I suppose it all boils down to personal taste.
For instance I’m an engadget faithful more than I’m a slashdot reader, and it could be argued that they both fulfill the same reporting needs as tech blogs.
I’m not talking about commercial services here, such as online bookshops, or paid or photo hosting, just the free services. Although now I come to think of it, perhaps competition in ‘free’ services is a good thing… after all it it weren’t for the current dizzying proliferation of Linux Distro’s then Unbuntumight never have been developed…
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