Internet today is fraught with social networking websites and community platforms. Each of them is trying to attract the users by offering different features. But when we look around, there are not many ‘successful’ SNWs .The reason being, not many of them actually offer you any unique feature.

We expect less customization: Why are we satisfied with what a SNW or a platform has to offer us and limit ourselves to the constraints they put on the way we interact socially? Why are we expecting less from the web when it has endless possibilities?

We expect less (read ’no’) branding: The content that users bring along with them to a community platform or a SNW add to the value of these platform. This makes Flickr: ‘the destination for best photos’ or Youtube: ‘the place to find great videos’. What about the branding of the user? Well, he/she is a ‘mere quality enhancer’ and a ‘mere content provider’ to these sites who may even has to pay for these platforms!

We expect less (read ’no’) money: Most social networking sites have ad-based revenue model in which they earn money by selling ad spaces on each page. So every page (including any user’s profile page) is being sold by these SNWs to ads. Now to make this model work these SNWs rely on the users’ content to engage other users. Interesting! So my video with some friends having a wild vacation on the beach is ideal for these SNWs to make money. I wonder why I am not getting paid for my content or for being popular and driving more traffic to my profile page?

We need to change the way we ‘are’ on the web. We should not be ‘mere providers of value and quality’ or ‘providers’ for that matter. We should keep our content and still get the due credit for its value. This can only be achieved when we start differentiating ‘platform/tool providers’ and the ‘content/quality providers’ and start appreciating them for who they are.

Expect more! Demand more! Let’s paint the web RED.