Is it time to hop on or off?

Now is the only time you get. Sure, Mike Arrington is in a pissy mood about now. He’s bummed that the good ol’ days have rolled up their tents and headed for the hills. Evidence like Wallstrip selling out after nine months and the whole Microsoft/aQuantive hook-up suggests he’s right. Right? Is it silly money being thrown in everyone’s faces? I don’t think so. Oh, there’s some silly money going around – see the Microsoft deal mentioned above – but the rest is a question of perspective. I recently spoke at a conference and got asked by a veteran business owner whether his company’s 50-year investment in building its brand, its customer service standards, and its customers’ loyalty was doomed because it hadn’t invested heavily in technology, whether that train had left the station. As Seth Godin points out so effectively, the train only pulls away when you decide not to get on.

Back in the day, we used to think that the US had an indomitable lead in technology, particularly with regard to the web. What we’d forgotten was that other countries didn’t need to start with CGI and a batch of Perl scripts. Most anyone can get onboard at almost anytime. In fact, the less spent in the past, the less companies need to worry about jettisonning.

It seems that Mike is channeling his inner Charles Duell, claiming it’s all been invented and was more fun the first time ’round. I think he just needs to read Anne 2.1, who offers sound advice on how to recharge and refresh. Take a quick moment to smell the roses, then hop on that train.