I’m starting to think the ‘bubble bursting’ is something like a cautionary fairy story tale used to ground rockstar wannabe web designers. I’ve lost count of the amount of posts I’ve seen in the past few months ringing the toll bell of the bubble bursting again.
Reality isn’t something to make fun of
I remember just like anyone the first bubble bursting and no it wasn’t fun. It was in many ways necessary though. It was a wake up call and a ‘grow up’ call to many that the web was fickle just like business. It also in the end resulted in the career as a web designer / developer being a reality. Of course it was there before but after it’s like everyone got a bit more serious and realised they neither had a super man cape, rock-star groupies or was able to walk on water. To get a successful site required work and to be a success yourself also required work. It was a wake up call the industry needed, somewhat sad to say but it was a fact of way too many cooks with poor cooking recipes thinking their food was caviar.
Is it the end of the world or just a wake up call?
I’ve been shaking my head about the apparent resurgence amongst some webbies of the notion they are superstars and can do nothing wrong. In this industry you are as good as your last work – you can’t rest on the laurels of a css showcase feature 2 years ago. It’s such a rapidly developing field that if you don’t keep up you fall behind – enter the table web designer dying breed as exhibit number 1. Maybe it’s the fact I’ve been around for a while now, I’ve done the trenches, I’ve done the conversion from tables being king to css governing – often I feel like I’ve brought the t-shirt, worn the hat and started knitting I’ve been in this industry so long. With time I’ve grown perhaps some would say cynical about the ego of some of my peers over the nature of the web. I’m not saying anyone doesn’t deserve recognition – it’s when that person takes it beyond the acceptable pat on the back and onto the ‘ego has landed’ stage.
A dose of reality never hurt anyone
Statements like ‘the bubble has burst’ have two effects from what I can see. The first is that it reminds us all of the fickle and fragile nature of the industry. In the grand scheme of things it’s a new one. When I was at school it wasn’t even an option of a career. The web industry we should all be aware is a bit of a wild west one – it’s new territory and we shouldn’t forget it will like any rise and fall. The oldest industries have their ups and downs, perhaps it’s more obvious in ours with the ‘clique’ nature of the web and blog chinese whispers – but the fact is it’s something all industries have. Nothing wrong with us all being reminded that in order to have a successful website or career in our industry you have to recognise it’s youth and when it comes down to it it’s just like any other business – it has to see profit or it stops becoming invested in.
No amount of funding can make something good
The second effect comes from the nature of investment on the web. There are fits and spurts where investors seem to be throwing money about like it’s going out of fashion. The ‘web 2.0 unicorn’ saw waves of funding being put into projects that anyone with half a brain would gasp at. Perhaps it’s not the bubble bursting and more inevitable that these projects built on sand are failing and falling by the side line. To me, this isn’t a bad thing. The bad thing is the blind funding of anything that has a gradient or uses ajax. Whilst we can clique pat ourselves on the back we have to realise we are not the world and users have a nasty habit of leaving if you don’t offer them something worthwhile. You may be able to get tech blogs to go ‘oo and ah’ and your web peers may worship you – this comes down to meaning nothing in the long term and won’t pay the bills forever.
Tarring everyone with the same brush
The worst thing to me is the loss of good concepts, websites and workers in the sea of flotsam web 2.0. I’ve seen some amazing projects struggle because of the desensitization of the crowd. Ultimately, the solid ones will remain, but they still go through struggling by being tarred with the good or bad brush. You really have to have a cynical nature to survive in this industry. One day you may be riding high, the next you are at the bottom of the pile – ultimately though you can make a good living if you just keep growing and put your nose to the grind stone. This is true of sites, the good ones eventually bubble to the top be that bubble bursting or not.
The benefit of living outside the loop
Whilst, sometimes it’s hard living both in the UK and in a part of the UK where the web industry is a minority. Being the only ‘webbie in the village’ does have it’s benefits though. I can keep in the loop online but I also have a more grounded mind thanks to not being surrounded by people in the industry. If I want to clique I can switch on, but almost daily I get a dose of reality from my location. To me, it’s worth a lot when someone who isn’t in the industry gets something out of what I do. Yes, there is something about peer recognition – we all need it – but recognition from someone that isn’t a signed up web 2.0 fan club member does have a special feeling. The ripples of any bubble burst be it real or blog reality, effects me less due to my location. The web is a new industry but it’s old enough to be essential for business. As a result, there is work there – it may not be sexy and the majority of work I’ve done certainly can’t be said to be rockstar roles. I’m in this for the long haul though and not for a one off number one.
Evolve or burst
The good that I hope comes from the bubble bursting fairy story this time is that people realise funding doesn’t equal success. If they have to work harder for it then some wheat will be removed from the chaff. It may be slightly idealistic to think this but it’s my hope. We all can get caught up in the clique, but if you are here for the long haul one fact rings true – you have to work to get anywhere and stay there. One hit wanders are not what anyone really wants to be. I personally, don’t see the bubble as bursting again, even if it’s just a rumor then it could be a good thing if some people get a wake up call as a result.
