Today while at work I was writing up about Web 2.0 and I came across a list of key indicators of whether a Web 2.0 app will be a success. While not all need to be met it is of benefit.
1. The product fits the needs of an underserved niche – i.e. there is a niche market which is after something which currently doesn’t exist in the form they desire. This makes totally sense.
2. The site has the ability to generate natural search results. Pretty much the site is in the top page rank on Google and Live.
3. The service allows users to make a profit. For instance eBay sellers can sell items, same with iStockPhoto.
4. It is free or significantly cheaper then previously. This is true as so many sites are free subscriptions that a site charging would get no traffic. The idea that the internet should be all free has led to the demise of a lot of good websites as there was not enough revenue from advertising.
5. The site should be truly viral. This means that the site is what is created by the users, not the webmasters. For instance YouTube is so popular because of the user generated videos without them it would just be a video stock library.
6. Ability to leverage another’s userbase. Basically tapping into someone else’s users to build yours. An example is Skype being distributed with KaZza.
7. You are worthy of news outlets writing about you. People have a reason to write about you. For instance Twitter is being written about all over the net because it is so popular without a revenue model.