Diversify Your Web 2.0 Activities

Recent incidents at Yahoo and its subsidiary Flickr should have alerted users that it is probably not a very smart move to use web services of just one company and eventually become dependent on that company. I know it is tempting and convenient because companies like Yahoo and Google provide their own single sign-on system which allows users to log in to any of their services without registering again (OpenID anyone?). But every financial consultant will tell you to diversify your investment portfolio; do the same with web services you use.

Don’t get me wrong, both Google and Yahoo are offering some stunning products which are (among) the best in their respective categories; just think of Flickr, Google Reader, Gmail, Del.icio.us, Upcoming,… But what can you do when the company is suddenly changing the rules, is becoming evil or is simply ignoring its users needs? Do you know alternatives?

Many German users of Yahoo’s photo community Flickr wanted to leave the service but didn’t know where to go. Which companies are around? Which features do they offer? They were facing some unexpected problems. Many have found a new home at French Ipernity and Danish 23, by the way. Others even wanted to leave Yahoo completely, so they are looking for Upcoming alternatives (I guess German Wevent has some new users now) and many more Yahoo services. Unfortunately friends and communities have to be left behind when saying goodbye to a service. Portable social networks are a potential solution; people need them, I guess.

So don’t stick to just one company and always keep alternatives at the back of your mind. Test new services or at least get a general idea about the market. Oh, and don’t think I am the smart guy. I will have to write down a list of Google and Yahoo services I use as well.