Sickr, Tickr, and casualties of change

Sickr, the social network for middle-aged people to discuss their illnesses, closed its doors today. They went live at 9:00 am yesterday, were profiled on TechCrunch by 9:01, and had 5,000,000 users by noon. Microsoft purchased the company at 4:00 pm, and by 9:00 this morning the service was renamed Windows Live Middle Aged Health Comparisons.

However, all 5,000,000 fickle Web 2.0 users had already left to join Tickr, Google's social network for people who think they have heart conditions (or people who collect watches --– it isn't really clear). Though subdued, a Microsoft spokesperson stated that the technology would be included in the forthcoming Windows 10.0.

OK, this story is completely fictional. In other words (Microsoft Legal, listen up!) the aforementioned two paragraphs should not be construed as anything other than parody.

Look at it this way, though. It took about 10 years following the introduction of Microsoft Windows for Windows applications to become commonplace. Then it was about five years from the introduction of Java before became an everyday part of our lives -- even if we often weren't aware that we were using it. The Facebook platform? About six months after introduction there were about 12,000 applications ... then 13,000 applications ... then 15,000 applications ... Well, you get my point.

We're living in a world where new web-based tools are introduced every day, many of which claim to solve essentially the same problems. Every day, usually following coverage on TechCrunch, thousands rush to try the Next Big Thing. Of course, the most desirable toys -- and yes, let's refer to them as toys -- are the ones you can't play with. You know what I'm talking about -- those limited-invite betas that everyone wants but can't have.

By 9:00 am the next morning, there's usually a little bit of new content, and a couple of new features to try. But does anyone really stick with them? For instance, after watching about an hour of the limited selection of programming on Joost, what more can you do with it?

Last week alone, I was invited to join three new services; NotchUp, Seesmic, and Hulu. The only reason that I even remember that I got the invites is because somebody told me about Instapaper, a ridiculously simple bookmarking site, and I bookmarked them. Otherwise I probably wouldn't recall the sites -- my inbox is constantly filled with such invites and recommendations, and it's nearly impossible to keep track of them all.

Not only do we create new software and services, but also programming languages, at an incredible pace. It seems like Ruby on Rails just popped up last week, but I'm still trying to get the hang of PHP. And these tools enable us to create new applications even faster.

We once took years to understand and assimilate new technologies into our lives. At the rate we're moving now, something new has a 24-hour window in which to catch our attention. Those that don't are the casualties of change. Just imagine the hundreds of thousands of hours of effort that go into well-intentioned products that fail to grab us on that first and only pass. That's the real catastrophe.

We seem destined to continue this pattern. I, for one, resolve to limit my choices to only those applications which, after careful consideration, solve my existing business problems.

But before I do that, do any of you have an invite for Twine?