UberNoggin

We all love the interactivity, the fun, the sheer ingenuity of the latest Web 2.0 sites popping up all over the internet but can it go too far? Here are a couple I find interesting/questionable/bizarre.

•  Mizpee

Take, for example, Mizpee  , an interactive directory of public bathrooms that you can search from your phone.

My first reaction was “Oh please! Folks will do anything to claim that they’re web 2.0-cool” but then I thought of all the times I’ve been on the run with my three five year-olds in tow and one of them says the dreaded “Umm mommy? I really have to go.” Mizpee could actually come in handy. But then, I’m seldom on the run with the kids in San Francisco or one of the other major cities supported by Mizpee.

What’s smart about this app isn’t the directory of bathrooms, it’s the info they deliver along with the location of the nearest loo. The “Toilet Paper” is a list of deals, restaurants, sales etc in the area near the toilet you choose.  Way to leverage biological necessity into a way to sell stuff!

•  Snoozester

I’d love to talk to the folks who have signed up for this service (if there are any). I’d like to call them first thing in the morning and say “Why the hell don’t you use an alarm clock?!” Snoozester is a pay service that sends wake up calls to your mobile phone. The first few are free but after you’ll have to pay $5 or so for the service. On the upside, you can be woken up by a pirate, a guy from India (racist? I’m not sure), an “all American girl” or a few other choices.

Some ideas are better left on the office white board.

• Stardoll 

Just the other day I turned to my friend and said “My life would be so much better if I just had a Hilary Duff paper doll to dress up.” My prayers were answered.

Stardoll not only has horrible vector art paper dolls to print of all our favorite obnoxious celebrities but you can even make your own! Go ahead, you know you want to. The bonus is, when you’re done creating your Frankenstein, you can actually print it out, cut it out, and put on your own Real World pit matches with your celebrity puppets. What fun! **cough**

•  Quicktoons

Ever wonder where folks who like  law suits go to create their web 2.0 goodies? Here’s a hint…

Quicktoons is a goofy little site that lets you create your own three panel comic strip using lots (well ok…maybe 5) characters and exciting backgrounds like umm…bathrooms? I’m sure Stan Lee and Jim Davis are lightening their work load with this handy app. **grumbles off to get more coffee**

So enough poking fun at bad web 2.0 ideas. I can hear you “It’s easy to poke fun at other people’s ideas, Sarah.” This is true. It’s also more fun but that’s not the point. What makes a web 2.0 app really successful? It’s got to be useful! More than just your mom has to think it’s handy. To last more than the typical 180 days, a web 2.0 app needs to improve our lives, make our days easier, automate our tasks or connect us to people who make us happy. In the endless rush to be the next big thing with their “site-alicious” and “site-snatcher-grabber.com” like titles, these companies seem to forget that the purpose of such sites (if they’re to last) is to increase productivity whether that be personal or business. It’s fine to create a site that’s just a time waster; wasting time can be fun. The keyword being fun! Not lame!

Am I wrong? Am I expecting too much from participatory web sites?

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