2008 blows up

There's a massive front moving in as I write this, and yet, if the power and my internet connection were lost, I can live on battery and EVDO for a while. This is the speed at which I am moving. While 2007 felt like a series of sprints, I can already feel the gentle but constant, steady forward motion of 2008-- like a marathon.

So it was with relative pleasure that I read Steve Rubel's piece "The Lazysphere and the Decline of Deep Blogging." I posted my own thoughts in his commentary, but I also think this came at a great time in my life...

For example, I'm reading the book I'm in and discovering how similar and yet unique my blogging peers are. I'm being inspired by my teams on TUAW and Download Squad with their intense fervor and passion for their areas of interest. Is the noise in the blogosphere louder? Damn straight. All the more reason for the voices of reason to argue more diligently and clearer than ever.

So why the blow up? I see good and bad happening in 2008, from further Google shakeups (SEO douchebags beware), a moderate collapse in the economy (resulting in a tightening of ad monies) and some real web success stories.

Wait, there's no bubble? Uh, there's a glut of services on the market, and far too many duplicates. So yeah, there's a mini-bubble, and this is the year it'll explode. That's good for the consumer in the end, but bad for many of us in the near-term.

It isn't all bad though. Pushing way past 2008 I see the web becoming an agent for change in some powerful ways. Sure, ebay has connected lost toys and owners. But what about local growers and local cooks? What about sourcing supplies to save emissions and waste? The force is strong with this one.

My personal goals involve just being a better person, which is all the bucket list one could ask for.