First of all, Happy New Year everyone. Now that we’re into 2008 and folks are heading back to work, I sincerely hope you are settling back in. I still have a long way to go, even though I’ve eliminated over 1000 unread emails and have about 450 to go. I figured it was time for a break to write this entry.
Lake Superior State University came out with their annual list of Words to be Banished from 2007. It’s always fun to read these and cringe when you see words that I use. Words and phrases like “organic” or “[blank] is the new [blank]” (I wrote two posts of the latter variety last year - i is the New e and g is the New i. Guilty as charged.
I’ll follow suit and list some of my own choices for words or phrases to be banned. Note that some of these can be found EASILY at the Web 2.0 Bullshittr.
- Hyperlocal: the idea that a site or service focuses on geographically local results or interests.
- Verticals: businesses describe verticals as tightly focused markets that show potential for growth.
- Conversation: Loren Feldman said it best.
- Ecosystem: a word that I admittedly use a lot. Ecosystem describes the way blogs, social networks and communities evolve together. An unbalanced ecosystem is one where something comes in and destroys the status quo that we all are comfortable with
- Evolve: I used it above. Point made.
- Widgets: Does anyone really understand what a widget is anymore? A widget is not a “thingy” as it has become understood. A widget is not any sidebar module. A widget is not a LinkedIn badge. A widget is a piece of third party, or more accurately external, code that displays interactive information. Or take Red Hat’s definition if you don’t believe me.
- Social Graph: Stop, stop, STOP!
What are your nominations for words of 2007 to be banned?
About the Author: Aaron Brazell is the lead editor of Technosailor.com and a social media expert. His passion is to see companies and individuals use the internet and web technologies wisely and effectively to promote their brands and companies. He is the Director of Technology at b5media and is available for consulting.
I nominate the word “collaberate”. sounds like something soured! been my experience that when someone wants to “collaberate” with me, it means I do the work and they take the credit!
Aaron,
How about adding “network neutrality” to the list…
An ambiguous term that seemed to define everything and anything in 2007.
Best,
Chris
http://www.mobilediner.com/
Words that I hope die in 2008 are:
User Generated Content
People Ready Business
Long tail
Engage
Citizen Media
Please God, kill Enterprise 2.0. The enterprise hasn’t changed. We have just made it more fun to create cooler versions of the same application on the web.
Well how about something besides words which should disappear?
.NET and Ruby on Rails should be banished. Too many kids think they can program and all they turn out is a bunch of non-scalable crap - a flash in the pan, then long forgotten.
@Brett Engage is a GREAT one. :)
@Alex, while you aren’t likely to get an argument out of me, thats not really a word or phrase. If we wanted to just name things that should be banned in 2008, I can add US politics to the list. ;)
“Social Advertising” and it’s not even that old yet.
“Social Graphs,” couldn’t agree more.
“authority”
i was hoping someone would just say STOP regarding zuck’s “social graph.” listen, i love the guy (maybe way too much at times) but the terma has “evolved” into semantics…hehe :)
kudos to you aaron.
Blogosphere.
I rest my case.
How about Facebook Beacon? Social ads?
I vote for “advergaming”…
Coopetition (guilty). Competitive advantage. “On the same page” (guilty). CES.
I vote for “synergies”.