for W3c validation

I’m not sure what made me think of this, but I was thinking about the Braveheart clip that I posted a couple days ago and I realized it can easily be related to the web 2.0 generation.

In today’s world, William Wallace is a Web 2.0 entrepreneur and the “Nobles” signify traditional business executives.

William Wallace was admired by the Scottish commoner because he wanted what they wanted — freedom — and was determined to give it to them. Today’s web 2.0 entrepreneurs are successful for a reason — they are solving problems consumers want solved. The web 2.0 business model usually comes after the problem is solved, rather than driving business decisions from the get-go. Whereas traditional execs are aiming to increase profits with their business decisions, the majority of web 2.0 entrepreneurs are making a business out of solving a real life problem that they’ve experienced. The business model comes later.

Another reason Wallace symbolizes the web 2.0 entrepreneur is his fantastic response to the “That is impossible” comment by a noble (in response to the idea of invading lower Englad) — Wallace responded by saying “Why? Why is that so impossible?” It wasn’t. Wallace sacked York against all odds. Obviously there are limits — ie I can’t fly (damn!) — but I truly believe individuals are only bound by the mental limits they place on themselves. Web 2.0 entrepreneurs realize anything is possible and aren’t limited by the mental pre-conceptions that those who have been entrenched in an industry for 20 years are.

Just as the nobles were concerned with maintaining their power and “title,” traditional business execs try to maintain power in their industry. They don’t always want what’s in the best interest of their customers, often because they are making money from keeping customers in the dark. This is exactly the reason that those execs who don’t understand the web 2.0 phenomonem, user-generated content, and social media are going to quickly get surpassed by web 2.0 entrepreneurs who do.

Web 2.0 is all about transparency and empowering the consumer, which I believe is a good thing all around. Power to the people!