MySpace and Blogs: The more things change…

OK…time to get a little philosophical. 

So here is what we have: a whole bunch of personal homepages where people would put a bunch of info about themselves, their favorite music, movies they liked, and other bits of personal chit chat and then sprinkle it with some favorite photos and links to their friends.

Sound like MySpace or maybe your favorite blog? Sure does. But actually that isn’t what I’m describing!

I’m describing an early incarnation of the web. Just before the ‘webosphere’ became mainstream and every company on the planet opened up an online shop, this is exactly what the web was. A bunch of folks, posting about whatever they thought was cool, and linking to all their friends.

It’s just interesting that after all these years and all the changes the internet has undergone, at its core it has remained a place where everyday people go to connect with one another. As a normal guy, I find this absolutely fascinating and I think it says something important about what it means to be human…

…and of course, as the Product Manager here at Ilium Software it reminds me to look hard at new trends and realize that underneath, there is often an element of human nature that drives them. Figure out what that hidden element is and you are on your way to producing a product that people truly want and need.