Conclusions – Web 2.0 Expo Berlin

This will be my last post regarding this year’s Web 2.0 Expo, of which i attended the first 2 of 3 days. It’s time for conclusions and votes, but also for some quotes that didn’t fit in my previous posts.

Quotes

I don’t believe in markets – Martin Varsavsky

In today’s scenario I could not have started Fon  – Martin Varsavsky

There are times when markets are prepared to give entrepreneurs ridiculous money and times when their refusals are ridiculous  – Martin Varsavsky

In America many users of Fon are bills, while in Japan they are linuses. That’s because Americans want to earn money, Japanese like to give something to others  – Martin Varsavsky

Developing an interaction audit for Ebay was not like following a strict blueprint – Josh Damon Williams

Adobe AIR sucks! – Alex Stamos (Actually he didn’t tell that, but this is a good summary)

If you do the right thing, it’ll come back to you – Yossi Vardi

“What’s the secret of you success?” “Luck” – Yossi Vardi to Tim O’Reilly

Create more value than you capture – Tim O’Reilly

Great challenges equals great opportunities – Tim O’Reilly

A victory small enough to be organized is too small to be decisive – Eliot Janeway cited by Tim O’Reilly

Business plans and sausages have one thing in common: only those who don’t know how they are made are willing to eat them – Yossi Vardi

Let your web application free for all but one customer. The one that will buy your company – Yossi Vardi

Plus and minuses

On the plus side:

  • Organization
  • Physical space (except for lunch)
  • Location
  • Quality of speeches
  • Affordable wireless connection

Minuses:

  • Lunch
  • Some promising speeches were cancelled
  • Networking site (Crowdvine)

Other great coverage of the Web 2.0 Expo in Berlin

Opening Welcome – Web 2.0 Expo Berlin

Tim O’Reilly on stage starts a difficult topic: how can web 2.0 help in a world of crisis? Important topic but, in part for the ugly American slang of Tim, in part because he probably had a strong lunch (he’s constantly thirsty) I understand only little chunks. I’m not the alone, at least considering the comments of my neighbours.

Tim suggest that an entrepreneur has to work on stuff that matters (problems that are unsolved).

Tim cited Pascal’s wager:

I look on all sides, and everywhere I see nothing but obscurity.
Nature offers me nothing that is not a matter of doubt and disquiet.

In particular, if we assume the worst we can ask ourself what really matters.

Tim also states that

A victory small enough to be organized is too small to be decisive

Other considerations of Tim O’Reilly:

  • Great challenges = great opportunities
  • Create more value than u capture

Yossi Vardi (known as the father of ICQ) talks about his role of venture capitalist. He wants young people to be persuaded in what they do and to look after first impressions. They have to work hard.