Coming together in large numbers and participating to “bring out the best”. Isn’t that what Web 2.0 and democratization of the web has done for so many things in recent years? It’s allowed a much larger number of people to collaborate and participate while the people within each community bring up the ones that stand out.
Look at Flickr! One of the forerunners in bringing Web 2.0 to the world of photography. In more ways than one, it brought out the photographer in each one of us, created a place where we could develop our skills brought millions together to participate and constantly helped bring to the spotlight the very best photographs and talent which could have gone unnoticed.
Look at Youtube! Think about how many new directors and video producers it’s created by providing a community and support infrastructure to share and broadcast video clips. Television has always looked to support talent but the sheer scale and number of gripping videos on Youtube which would have otherwise missed out on was a result of people being able to participate in what we watch. It’s the contributors to this community who have voted, thumbs-upped and made videos like “Charlie Bit Me” as popular as global sporting events.
Democratization works to have a community select what they like and bring the very best out into the forefront and now we can use it to bring out the best of startups. I may not be the most experienced of photographers but I know when I’ve got an exceptionally good shot because when they are discovered on Flickr, they gather momentum within the community and I can measure how good it was by peoples reaction, acceptance, feedback and votes.
In a community like Grow VC which comprises of other entrepreneurs, experts and investors, it’s good to have your startup listed so that you can measure where it stands if for no other reason. Just as a website can be tested on a sandbox server, a startup idea can be tested within a community that understands where you’re trying to run with it. Through the feedback, comments, votes or even silence of others within the community, one can rethink some things, re-write the pitch, work on standing out or at least know how their idea will be received by others once it’s out there. The chances are: if you can gather interest within a smaller community, you can gather interest within the larger market. If your plan isn’t attracting any attention within a close knit community, it may just need some adjustments. Then, there is the benefit of having your startup “talked about” within the circle of entrepreneurs, investors and experts since that’s an audience that could be very valuable in future.
As the Grow VC community grows and more members as well as more startups are vying for the support they require, rest assured, democratization will help bring out some great startup ventures right to the top!
Tags: best, community, entrepreneurs, experts, funders, startups, web 2.0. democratization
