Many thought our age would be significant because of the development of the computer. Few recognized that it would only be when computers were connected to a global network that they would become useful. Our ability to easily access crucial information instantaneously gives us much more power than any calculations we can do on a single computer. And since communications is the basis of civilization, its not surprising that the Internet is having such a profound effect. Whether for commerce or for entertainment, the rules of this new economy are shifting in new directions.
Innovation is valued over optimization.
The value of a network increases by the square of the number of computers attached to it. Significance Precedes Momentum - After you get over the initial hump, growth feeds upon itself. Law of Increasing Returns - Value explodes with membership, and that very explosion attracts new members. Anticipate the Cheap - This kind of growth causes the very best to get cheaper each year. Just look at computers.