Andreessen: “If you can program it, then it’s a platform. If you can’t, then it’s not.”

It’s not often that I disagree with Marc Andreessen, but his recent post on web platforms draws some pretty arbitrary lines. According to his definition of web platform, Craigslist, eBay, eLance and other web-based marketplaces are not web platforms, nor are any of the gazillion blogging platforms, not to mention payment platforms, video & photo sharing platforms, etc.

It’s no secret that Facebook’s recent explosive growth has in large part a result of their F8 platform, which allows outside developers to build applications using the Facebook API. Andreessen (a founder of Netscape, Loudcloud/Opsware, and most recently Ning, which allows users to make their own social networks) tries to clarify some of the resulting confusion surrounding the “platform” buzzword and describes three types of platforms that exist on the web but first states that, “If you can program it, then it’s a platform. If you can’t, then it’s not.“ However, much like F8, EC2, and S3 allow programmers to plug in and build on a service as they wish, sites like Craigslist and eBay allow non-programmer users to do the same. Further, placing an item on eBay is, techically, “progamming” eBay, as is placing a photo on flickr, putting this blog post on wordpress, or paying someone through PayPal…and the line between programmer and user is becoming thinner by the day (e.g. Yahoo! Pipes).

Not surprisingly, Andreessen’s Ning service, according to his definition, not only qualifies as a web platform, but is also a “Level 3″ platform, the only others being Salesforce.com, Second Life, and “sort of” Amazon (Facebook is only a “Level 2″). I think Ning is a great service, and Andreessen is clearly an amazing entrepreneur and writer, but these classifications seem arbitrary. “Platform” is being thrown around a lot these days, but this is likely in large part due to the explosion of flexible, adaptable web applications that let users and programmers alike manipulate services to fit their needs.

Tiffany v. eBay: more issues

The latest news on the Tiffany v. eBay  epic courtroom saga:  after +3 years, a new judge was assigned to the case.  Judge Kenneth Karas was removed from the case and replaced by “Judge Sullivan”.  It is unclear why this switch was made.  Karas’ summer vacation maybe?

b-side

I’ve learned a bit about a very interesting company called b-side over the past few weeks. They’re focusing on, as their tag line describes, “the other side of film”. B-side brings their technology to film festivals around the globe to help poll audiences and create valuable hard data about films. They also are an independent distributor of films – their technology allows them to identify the best films in festivals which they sign to distribution deals. Their site is slick – users can watch previews and purchase full length films, as well as create user accounts and get recommendations. The 43 films currently available through the site are presumably the films that b-side has signed. I just watched “Before the Music Dies” and highly recommend it. They also have the cult hit “Four Eyed Monsters” and lesser known titles like “Phone Sex Grandma“.

B-side may be a hit for their investors through site sales alone, but the data that they can pull from festivals could be extremely valuable if they are able to identify and purchase the rights to the next Napoleon Dynamite, or sell information to those who are interested in doing so. B-side is a great example of a company that has identified an information inefficiency that can be exploited to the benefit of everyday folks (via movie downloads on the site that they wouldn’t otherwise get) and big money players (interested in sniping the next low cost blockbuster). Definitely check them out.

The Wisdom of (Expert) Crowds

There is an interesting little article in the September ’07 HBR entitled “The Wisdom of (Expert) Crowds”. Its free for the time being here. The article examines the Delphi method, a research method in which corporations speak to several experts within a field and implement change based on the analysis (the wikipedia entry is quite good as well). The HBR author argues that the strength of the research form lies not in prediction but in the creation of detailed scenarios which the company can monitor after the research has been completed. The article also notes the recent resurgence of this type of research given the heightened level of “connectivity” available in today’s world. I have written in the past on web applications in the “wisdom of the crowds” and predictive market spaces, but none that I am aware of touch directly on this area…