I can’t escape the observation that a simple idea, executed well, can not only change the world (or a part of it), but can also be satisfying in so many ways (like financially). Witness Yahoo!’s acquisition of Flickr, Konfabulator, and upcoming.org. How long until somebody snaps up Ning? How about the rock stars at 37signals?

The ideas at work here are around sharing, either via “Web 2.0” kinds of ideas, or communication/community (ala Y 360, but more focused). Having all these cool Web apps is great. Having them all share information among themselves is another.

Great article from Chad Dickerson on the similarities between Web 2.0 and punk rock.

Like any social movement, it starts with a small band of rebels/visionaries. By the time it hits the mainstream, it’s been transformed into something the initiators no longer recognize and don’t particularly want to be a part of. We’re probably not at that point yet with Web 2.0. Wait until there are truly compelling reasons to have web application interoperability, and watch malware writers look for weaknesses, while the hucksters build robots to use these interconnected apps for personal gain…

Many observers of the punk rock scene said the death of punk was the 1980 movie Times Square. If that’s true, is the death of Web 2.0 the O’Reilly conference this week? Or perhaps it’s the Business 2.0 article that lists AJAX as its number 1 “technology that changes everything”? Fortunately Jason @ 37signals weighs in with The top 10 things that aren’t Web 2.0“.