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Is the web a thing?

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There's long been talk of the web as an emerging "platform" -- indeed it is.  Of course, that's an abstraction and a convenience. A valued convenience to be sure -- it helps us encapsulate a lot of details and communicate more effectively about an increasingly large number of things (what significant doesn't business  strategy -- whether operations or marketing -- doesn't have some web / Internet component to it?)….

Sometimes, however, I find it helpful to remind myself that the web as a "thing" exists only as a concept -- it's not physically instantiated as a monolithic thing but as a huge collection of independent things that together have properties of a different character than the individual components from which it's comprised.

350px-Complex-adaptive-systemIn fact, that's a large part of the power of the web in the first place -- it's a great example of a complex, adaptive system. One that's growing all the time, thanks to the designers, developers, sys admins, and business folks who keep thinking up and experimenting with new value-creating opportunities for people to connect with each other (and increasingly to also connect with discrete, inert things).

I'm looking forward to meeting a bunch of these folks at MIX '08 out in Las Vegas this week, where Microsoft is unveiling some new capabilities to help these folks take the individual things that comprise the emerged web up another notch. If you're at MIX, too, reach out -- would love to connect. :-)

And if you were not one of the lucky ones who got a pass to MIX before it sold out, you can still follow the action at www.visitmix.com.  Keynotes get posted shortly after the live delivery, and all sessions are recorded and will be available for free online. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: MIX,adaptive systems,web

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