Thanks to Richard McManus for a great summing up of Web 2.0 this week.  One thread that really caught my attention is the first I have seen that addresses scalability of web 2.0 Apps.

Scalability is both a development and a growth issue – especially for many of the ultra viral community type tools that are making waves in Web 2.0 today.

There is something I find shocking about Web 2.0 – shared environments.  Many early stage web 2.0 apps are developed in and run shared hosting environments – it just blows my mind.  We were certainly boot strapping when we built 2ndSite, but we weren’t fooling around.  We went straight to the best managed hosting provider available and implemented a number security safeguards.  Given the nature of the information we store, I could not live with myself otherwise…but that’s me.

But with regards to this issue of scalability, I’m excited that it turns the notion that it is cheap to develop a web app on its ear.  Maybe they are cheaper to “code”, but they are not necessarily cheap to run.  Developers that think they should be cheap to run, or who skimp on hosting ought to think twice.  I think all this hints at the fact that may web 2.0 apps are not being run like business and I don’t think that is a good thing for the consumer..

There is an old adage: “Buyer Beware”.  I hate to say it, but it’s as true as ever with Web 2.0 apps today. Internet users need to beware of the service provider they choose and service providers need to communicate what they REALLY offer.  Call me old school, but I like a good service with REAL support.  Without that, I’d “be-wary”.