Goowy and web-based desktops as Information Banks
TechCrunch profiled Goowy yesterday, which is a web-based application that allows you to store (quoting from their site) "email, contacts, calendar, and integrated instant messaging (coming soon) all from one place anytime, anywhere." But coming soon, they are also going to provide virtual file storage such that you can access your documents, pictures, music and more from any computer via the web. They are also building in media reading functionality so that you can get news, weather, itunes music, bookmarks, to-dos, etc, again all in one place via the web.
I personally think that this concept of a web-based desktop is pretty exciting. I personally have three computers…two different laptops at home and one at work. I have documents, music, photos, etc spread out equally against all of them and struggle sometimes to remember where I should go to find a different file or song. An application like Goowy (or potentially Microsoft’s Live product) seems to be a good solution to that problem. I haven’t used either of them yet, though I’ve seen them both demoed — including a Goowy demo this past weekend at Barcamp LA.
While abstracting these platforms a bit, however, I’m coming to the realization that they are basically becoming information banks. Think about it…hundreds of years ago, people stored all of their money locally (at home). Banks were primarily used by the wealthy. Today, however, everyone uses a bank. Very little money is stored locally at all. And not only that, anyone can get access to their funds through any ATM. I see these desktop platforms as filling this role in the information economy. I personally get less benefit out of having my music files or my word documents stored on one local PC than I do out of having it stored centrally such that I can access (withdraw) them via whatever machine I want.
I only wonder, however, how the business models will differ…if at all. Again, an abstract: Banks utilize my money while it is in there and pay interest to me for the usage. They then loan my money to other people and charge them even higher interest rates for borrowing the money. Similarly, these desktop platforms will have a pretty good idea of my behaviors and interests. They may opt to "pay" me for gathering this info by recommending to me other things I would like or enjoy. But they obtain far greater currency from the advertisers who pay them for the aggregated info (an info loan!) in order to create targeted advertising.
Perhaps all of this is obvious, and is just a restating of the principles of a network society. But I’d still love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Technorati tags: goowy, live.com
