Until recently, the internet was controlled by the people with all the dollars. They told us what we wanted, where we could get it, and how we had to use it. With the development of Web 2.0 all that has changed. The internet has taken a 180 degree shift from a supply dictated existence, to one that is demand controlled.
Everyday the web is taking new form by the actions and behaviours of the user. The popularity of sites such as MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook are clear indicators of this. These sites are the more obvious changes that everybody is seeing. Another very significant change is that of the online entrepreneur. Now anyone with a credit card, a brain, and a bit of time to devote, can make significant fortunes online in a very short space of time.
eBay businesses were perhaps the earliest example of this. Anybody who had a talent, specifically in a product niche category, were able to setup shop quite quickly and painlessly, achieving substantial profits on their products. By culminating under the branding of eBay, they were able to instantly obtain market credibility, but more importantly, were now operating in a global marketplace, with a potential client base of around 500 million people. But that was the old days.