Sunday hasn’t even passed into a faded memory even though many of us may have already forgotten Robert Scoble’s post declaring that blogs are boring and have lost their humanity which I found via a post by Ed Sutherland over on Professional Blogging News. I didn’t get it straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak because I don’t read Robert’s main blog anymore - I find it boring.

It didn’t use to be but in recent time he has taken to posting more and more long video pieces with industry leaders and the such which for me personally are not interesting. They maybe for others and they maybe for me in the future but for now Robert has become the very thing he talks about - boring and pedestrian.

That said though I think today’s post by Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasion totally throws Robert’s point to the wind and brings a splash of reality to this whole Web 2.0 extravaganza with his statement that - The Web 2.0 World is Skunk Drunk on Its Own Kool-Aid.

To understand why this is such an indictment of Web 2.0 you have to understand that for the longest time Steve Rubel was one of the biggest proponent of everything Web 2.0 and was one of the leaders of the chase the next shiny new thing early adopters. Everything that even smelled of Web 2.0 and had that cool new look got Steve’s stamp of approval. It got to the point that I unsubscribe from his blog and Twitter feed - it was just too irritating to read all that gushiness all the time.

Then comes today’s post which I came across via Nick Bradbury’s shared feed and it’s cut to the chase retrospective look at what we are going through now on the web just blew me out of the water. Even as he says he is still optimistic about technology’s long term impact he also says:

However, over the last year my thinking has evolved dramatically. I have become less interested in every new shiny object and more engrossed in the social changes it, slowly, effects. This is in part a byproduct of the tech blogosphere slowly getting drunk on its own Kool-Aid.

Steve decries the resurgence of what he sees as the signatory excess of a bubble nearing the bursting point:

The endless dot-com parties are back. So are the countless trade shows/conferences that regurgitate the same “new paradigms” the last 10 events did - with no end in site. And yes, the ridiculous BS press releases are flying into my Gmail box. This is why I don’t speak at or attend very many Web 2.0 conferences anymore. I don’t have the heart for it. I would be stirring the big pot of Kool-Aid.

Personally I think it is a good thing that someone of Steve’s stature in the blogosphere; and the whole Web 2.0 thing, has come out and said all this. I am sure he will be getting a lot of flack because of his current feelings which is too bad because it will be another case of shooting the messenger instead of listening to the message. A message which think really needs to be listened to.

To Steve: I have re-subscribed to your feed once more because I think what you have said is important and I have a sneaky feeling we’ll be hearing more from you on this whole thing - thanks.

Listening to: Tori Amos - The Beekeeper - Parasol

Conversation Tags: Web 2.0, Steve Rubel, Kool-Aid