The Web At A New Crossroads
http://www.arcticstartup.com/2009/09/11/the-web-at-a-new-crossroads/

"And for the time, it fit the write-print/publish model many people had become familiar with thanks to Microsoft Word and other text editors — and which was in turn rewarded by Google’s link-based approach to search."

This real-time web is not mature yet, since the platforms that sequester all of our activities today are proprietary ones like Facebook and Twitter. These are convenient, to be sure, but of limited utility to users with cross-site ambitions, who require interoperability. While “brand-mediated” profiles and relationships may not seem completely odious on the surface, there are four major drawbacks to keep in mind: