Ian Landsman is Starting From Scratch, August 20, 2006:
UserScape and the Web 2.0 Traffic List
If you're in the market for a powerful and user friendly Help Desk solution, please take a look at my company's flagship product HelpSpot.
I just read that UserScape is listed on Seth Godins Web 2.0 traffic watch list. It’s currently #412 of #937. This list is interesting, but it’d be much more interesting if you could filter by profitability. I bet UserScape would be in the top 50 if you could.
Discussion
Heh heh. I was thinking just that when I read through that list.
Created by Paul Lawler on 08.21.2006 9:50 am
There are a number of open source projects on there too. dotProject is currently #140. 
Created by Keith Casey on 08.21.2006 12:10 pm
Ian - I bet you are correct about this being a completely different list if it were sorted on profit. My question: what do you think it is about UserScape.com that made it a candidate for a Web 2.0 list? I think your business model is Web 2.0ish. Does HelpSpot fit Goodin's definition from wikipedia that it "let(s) people collaborate and share information online in a new way". I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on if you are a Web 2.0 company.
Created by Scott Meade on 08.21.2006 11:47 pm
That's actually one of the things I find kind of funny about these lists is that so many companies don't really seem to fit. I'd say that UserScape is someplace in the middle.
There are some companies on there that have antique products they've been selling forever. Not web 2.0 to me by any definition.
Then you have people more in the middle like me. My business model is very 2.0 at least in terms of startup costs, working remotely, etc. In terms of technology HelpSpot does use lots of ajax and such, though it's not 100% mainly because I don't believe in the 100% ajax UI, but that's for another post. The obvious shortcoming for HelpSpot in relating to a traditional 2.0 company is that it's not hosted and of course it's not free.
Created by Ian on 08.22.2006 1:00 pm
I wonder how much of a boost adding your site to Wikipedia will add. 
Created by Doug on 08.25.2006 1:07 am
Actually I don't expect much of a boost. I don't think wikipedia is really known for selling loads of software, especially B2B software. I just noticed there were many other similar apps by small ISV's listed so I figured I'd add HS. Just seemed kind of cool to have it up there. Sort of a permanent record that it was here. The digital equivalent of carving your name in a tree 
Created by Ian on 08.25.2006 2:50 am
I don't think Ian's business is 2.0 at all. I don't think 2.0 = ISV either.
But so what?
Created by Mike on 08.25.2006 10:45 am
I think it is a little bit from the working cheap, staying small perspective but definitely not from the having no business plan perspective
Created by Ian on 08.25.2006 10:50 am