Doing it first versus doing it right, by Jeffrey Veen

Doing it first versus doing it right

With the announcement of Odeo ("what Blogger did for publishing, we'll do for podcasting"), Ev Williams is getting a lot of attention again. That's not surprising, of course, since he's been something of a web startup poster child these last few years. And while that gives the new project a head start, it also brings out the cranks and critics.

The ink was barely dry on the New York Times story, when Dave Winer jumped into the fray:

"...this wouldn't be the first time Evan Williams 'took over' an idea."

The folks over at Glassdog, however, were quick to remind everyone that inventing technology is only interesting when it is applied to actual human need. And the best way to do that, frankly, is by commercializing it:

"There is a rich history of business ideas that were invented by engineers, but perfected by those that re-made them for the mainstream and profited in users and dollars many times over the original creators. This looks like another one."

A rich history indeed. Read a bit about Alexander Graham Bell -- he was far from the inventor of the telephone, but became known as such for his ability to bring a marketable product to the business community.

Ev may not be an inventor and businessman like Bell, but he seems to be looking in the right direction with his new product. As he told the reporter from the Times:

"We're going to let people do what they do and we'll see what they do and hope they do it a lot."

That quote may be a bit abstract, but take it apart and you'll find three keys to success. An open platform that responds to user needs ("let people do what they do"). An understanding of the importance of observation and iteration ("we'll see what they do"). And a desire to measure success in the market ("hope they do it a lot.")

Alternatively, you can complain that you did it first and it's not fair. Your choice.

This entry was written by Jeffrey Veen and posted 27 February 2005 at 9:24 AM. It was filed under Technology. | View blog reactions

Comments

1. On 27 February 2005 at 10:09 AM Mike P. wrote:

"he was far from the inventor of the telephone, but became known as such for his ability to bring a marketable product to the business community."

Wow, what an amazing coincidence that *you* write this, as I was thinking the same thing about all of the sour people who were all "we were there first, and we called it remote scripting" after last weeks' article on Adaptive path... Oh boy, I was going to post but held back, now here I go...

2. On 27 February 2005 at 10:30 AM veen wrote:

Heh, that's funny. For some reason I never considered the Ajax conversation when writing this post. But you're right, Mike, it's the same issue.

To be clear: Ev isn't claiming to have invented podcasting, just as Adaptive Path never tried to lay claim to the technologies and techniques behind Ajax. We both just saw something very cool, and wondered why nobody was humanizing it.

I don't know if Bell was the same. The patent battles he fought lead me to believe he wanted first-mover credit in addition to his business success. But ultimately solving *real* problems for people is more interesting that who did it first, I think.

3. On 27 February 2005 at 12:48 PM John Y. wrote:

Is it me, or is Dave Winer about due to add an "h" to the spelling of his last name?

4. On 27 February 2005 at 4:57 PM Bud Gibson wrote:

I guess my reaction is that I would like to see all of these ideas be free and then competition based on service.

That said, I think Winer deserves credit for his innovations. It's pretty clear that RSS 2.0 won out over 1.0 and that Dave carried the torch for RSS during the dark years after 1999 when it was not used due to "commercial" considerations. It's not entirely clear to me the extent to which he was an early blogger or co-inventor of podcasting. He does seem to have done some standards setting around RSS enclosures, though.

A question for you, if technical innovators are not to be compensated just for that, how will we support technical innovation? Your post admits the critical role of technical innovation in creating business value. You just seem to assign more credit to the packaging. How would a company like Adaptive Path exist without technical innovation?

It's really just a pie dividing issue, and you and Dave Winer are taking opposite sides. Hard to say who is right.

5. On 27 February 2005 at 6:22 PM veen wrote:

"A question for you, if technical innovators are not to be compensated just for that, how will we support technical innovation? "

Oh, that's not at all what I intended to imply. Our industry clearly has been built on pure technological innovation, and those innovators should be (and usually are) rewarded with credit and cash. But to diminish the innovation that brings technology to market -- understanding an audience, determining their needs, creating an experience that is delightful, empowering, and profitable -- to diminish that is short-sighted. And to ridicule someone for trying is unconscionable.

6. On 28 February 2005 at 12:08 AM Gunnar Langemark wrote:

Hey you guys! And especially you John Y.
I WAS THERE FIRST. I called Dave Winer a Whiner way before you did!
Here's the proof: http://www.langemark.com/node/322

I bet you did not anticipate this coming!

:-)

Best
Gunnar

7. On 28 February 2005 at 6:40 AM Bob H. wrote:

If Mr. Winer is so upset about coming out with ideas first, why does he sit on them rather than not start humanizing products? I might be wrong, but I don't hear Alan Kay whining that he invented overlapping windows first and 'poor me' because Apple humanized it. It's really cool when someone creates a new technology to use (RSS, podcasting, etc.) but if you're not willing to 'humanize' are the masses going to use it? (Ranting over.)

8. On 28 February 2005 at 6:51 AM Matthew Oliphant wrote:

One of the three truths in life is that there will always be someone out there who can do something better than you, in less time, for less money.

Your only recourse is to make sure they work for you. If not, EVentually you will be passed by.

9. On 28 February 2005 at 6:52 AM Bob H. wrote:

Didn't Netscape invent RSS? So does that mean Dave 'took over' an idea?

10. On 28 February 2005 at 3:36 PM Dave Winer wrote:

Ouch. Name-calling, eh Jeff? Sticks and stones, you old crank yourself! ;->

For what it's worth, Evan hasn't done a podcast yet. Let him come on the playing field and work with the podcasters. I'm one of them, and if he has something to offer, I'll be the first to say it.

And where are your podcasts Jeff?

What makes you the expert here?

Hehe. Gotcha there?

11. On 28 February 2005 at 3:41 PM Dave Winer wrote:

Hey there hasn't even been an update at the Odeo blog since they launched. Gotta wonder if they really "get" it.

http://odeo.com/blog/

12. On 2 March 2005 at 4:26 AM Ryan Oswald wrote:

Great, so now I have another way to get music on my ipod? Why do we even care about this? How much entertainment/information options may we have until we are all totally saturated? Does this stuff really factor into peoples daily lives? How much time can you really devote to organizing your daily "podcast" between waking up hung-over, late for work/school, commuting, making a living, paying bills, exercising, eating, cleaning, washing, taking care of kids, and this is just the stuff that actually matters. Then we have to take pictures, download pictures, organize pictures, print pictures, find music, download music, organize music, transfer music, watch tv, dvd's, play xbox, post to blog, catch up on blogs, comment on blogs, talk to mom, dad, actual people.
I don't know about other people, but I rarely use my Ipod at all. I love music, but I don't have to have it blasting in my head everywhere I go. The ipod is just a life-style icon and its success just an ultimate example of our media driven post-modern society.

13. On 2 March 2005 at 10:53 AM veen wrote:

Dave Winer:

"And where are your podcasts Jeff?"

My point exactly, Dave. Thanks for making it so clearly.

Much like most of the folks I know, I'm terribly interested in fiddling with new technologies, but find I seldom have the time available to really dig into everything (much like Ryan, above). That's why I'm necessarily grateful to people who take these cutting edge developments and make them accessible to a much larger audience.

And see, everyone always assumes that this means "make it so my grandmother can use it." Which is demeaning, frankly. I design with technology to enable people who are distracted, yet could benefit. Just like blogs did all those years ago. HTML? FTP? Ah, type into textfield and hit submit. Great!

So, no, of course I don't have a Podcast. I don't really have the cycles to grok RSS2 enclosures to the point where I could publish audio with enough efficiency to fit it into my life. But when I can create an account on Odeo and install a plug-in for iTunes, and when it works as easy as dragging a song into a folder, then sure, I'll embrace the technology.

In the mean time, I'll be busy making a different set of technologies intuitive and relevant. I hope that doesn't mean I'm stealing. Shoulders of giants, more like...

14. On 2 March 2005 at 5:00 PM Cameron Barrett wrote:

He who shouts the loudest and the most isn't always the smartest. Sometimes it is about proper marketing of an idea/technology than it is about the invention of it. In my experience, marketers who shout too much are often covering up for some flaw in their product or service.