Web 2.0 used to be an isolated phenomenon. Blogs tracked it as such, and subscribing to feeds from TechCrunch and Read/WriteWeb meant subscribing to an active stream of new sites, services, start-ups, and, most importantly, ideas.
But somewhere along the line the category got so broad that tracking it took on a new meaning. The Web 2.0 blogs started spending more time on rumors and acquisitions than on new sites, services and start-ups.
I’m interested in broad trends and conference topics and who Google/Amazon/whoever is buying, but I miss the stream of new ideas. So, if you’re a developer looking for an idea, I have one…
Create a cycling display of new [Web 2.0] entrants in the form of a compact widget. Categorize them by launch status (i.e.: public beta) and service type (i.e.: social network,) give some links, basic details, and offer [digest] rss feeds.
It would make for great drop-in content for all the blogs that seem to be loosing track of what’s new. Who knows, TechCrunch might even profile you when Yahoo! buys my, I mean your, idea.