Online success

I have been thinking recently about what makes online companies successful. Here's the output of my musings:

Twitter = blogging + RSS + word limit + popularity

Facebook = personal web pages + email + popularity (Facebook is also closed, but I don't think protecting people's data is what drove people to Facebook or made it successful.

Google  = search + better algorithm + cleaner interface + popularity

Putting content online

• That only you can see – Google Docs/Zoho
• That only your (vetted) friends can see – Facebook
• That only subscribers to you can see – Twitter
• That everyone can see – Personal webpages/Blogs/Youtube/Forums

Access to content via

• Just a normal web page
• An account/reader