How Does One Compete With This Beast? Here’s How:

As you can tell from this blog, my Tweets, and just about the entire blogosphere, the entire web is talking about Facebook making every website on the web a part of its own network.  Basically, with a few lines of code copied into your own website you can immediately have access and share to 400 million+ users Facebook now has built relationships with its social network.  This news is huge!  After yesterday the web has officially changed forever.  You are now engrained in the building block web in ways you never realized before.  You will be assimilated, and the web is less anonymous than ever before because of it.

The question now becomes, “How do you compete with this beast?”  What comes after the building block web?  You may want to read my article on my vision for a web with no login buttons.  The next step of the web is one that goes full circle back to the client, and even off of the computer into your living room, your house, and your kitchen.  It’s one that follows you on billboards (and you have full control over what displays on those billboards!).  The way to compete with Facebook is to take the web to the level beyond where Facebook is.  Take them to the client, give control back to the users, and the company that controls this will take control of the internet again, but this time in a way that users have full control over.

Kynetx is doing just this.  They are building an entire platform for developers that, through completely open standards, enables developers to write once, and have contextual experiences that follow the user across any website they visit on the web.  Let’s say I’m a fan of Depeche Mode.  I could go from site to site, and see ads that target Depeche Mode merchandise and tickets.  Or, if I’m an Apple fan, I would see right on Amazon.com MP3s the same songs on iTunes, right on the Amazon MP3 site so I could compare!  Let’s take it just one step further though: imagine you get home, turn on the TV, and you’re watching Lost.  Let’s say you’re also a fan of Fringe.  As you’re watching TV, elements from Fringe that overlap with Lost would appear right on the screen, right from plugins developers create.  The possibilities are endless!

The next step of the web moves straight from the web, onto the browser, the client, and even off the computer.  Kynetx is the only company out there that I’m aware of that is trying to standardize this effort so developers can fully tap into this next generation of the web.  With just a few lines of Javascript-like syntax, I can have a fully contextual experience for all my users across the websites they visit – that’s powerful!

If I were Google I would certainly be considering Kynetx as my next investment.  Take Facebook to the next level.  Move to the contextual, ubiquitous web and leave Facebook in the dust.  This is how the winner of the next generation of web platforms will beat this current state.

Want to come to something that could have as much impact as F8? Guess what – Kynetx has their own conference next week.  Steve Gillmor will be there.  I’ll be there (in and out).  John Udell, who coined a lot of the social web as we know it, will be there.  Phil Windley, a huge influencer in the area of open standards and identity will be there (he’s the CTO).  Holden Page from The Next Web will be there.  I encourage if you can fit the budget in, book your tickets now and come out for this special event – it’s one event I think many, many more people need to be attending.  This is what will shape the web of tomorrow.

You can register here – registrants that use the code “STAY50” get 50% off registration.  (I receive absolutely no commission off registration – please do it because I believe in this!)  If you’re a journalist or mainstream blogger let me know and I’ll put you in contact with appropriate people for press access.  I sincerely hope you will come – this is important!

My registration, like that of F8 and other conferences has been comp’d for this conference, and I will probably get a free dinner out of it.  No other compensation has been received.  Beyond that I am coming and promoting this solely because I *really* believe in this stuff!  Please join me!