The Web 2.0 Expo in New York may have the misfortune of happening during the worst week for tech companies since the collapse of the bubble and a global equities meltdown born of a unrelenting crisis of confidence -- but you wouldn't know it from the unbridled optimism and business-as-usual attitude during a slew of presentations to the young and the hungry.
“Javits is emerging as a place where there’s some room for optimism,” said Tech Web’s Jen Pahlka, who along with O'Reilly's Brady Forrest hosted the keynote event on Wednesday.
Venture capitalist Fred Wilson, a man who knows the ups and downs of the tech market, even postulated that New York was on an upswing that could eclipse Silicon Valley in buzz and activity.
“There’s something that goes on here in New York that’s different than what goes on in Silicon Valley. It’s more creative, more artistic, more connected to media and advertising,” Wilson said. “There will come a time when New York might be 70 or 80 percent of Silicon Valley as it relates to internet companies.”
Just don't call it Silicon Alley in his presence. “We are not an alley. Let's bury the name,” he said.
And so it goes. The rest of the speakers were just as upbeat as they offered advice to struggling startups. Deborah Schulz discussed the "grand gesture," saying companies need to follow new trends in communication as well as go out and meet their community. 37Signals founder Jason Fried stressed the need to streamline, comparing a web business to a well-kept museum. “You have to say 'no' to more things than you say 'yes',” he said, noting the need to cut down on unnecessary features that can “bloat” a site. Maria Thomas, CEO of the Brooklyn-based social network Etsy.com, where users can promote, sell and request handmade goods, said that a business should have both clarity of purpose and a sense of social responsibility.
The winner of the most animated and lively speech of the day was from vlogger and wine connoisseur Gary Vaynerchuk. His Big Idea: Do what you love or quit.
“You can lose just as much money being happy as hell,” he said. “If you love Alf, do an Alf blog. If you collect Smurfs, Smurf it up.
Whatever you need to do, do it."
Like the others, he has found success in keeping close personal contact with his fans through social networks and e-mail whenever he’s online. Which is often, but shouldn't be all the time, he says.
“The only thing I fear in the world is internet on planes,” he said.
