Let’s 86 “2.0”

With NBC branding their layoffs “NBC U 2.0” last week, I’m officially issuing a moratorium on all things 2.0—and not just because it reminds me of my college grade point average. 2.0 was clever when new economy chronicler Business 2.0 launched back in 1998, but now it’s just old and trite. In Fox’s baseball broadcasts, there’s a Nissan ad touting “Shift 2.0.” Google's David Eun cited the oft-repeated "Web 2.0" concept to my colleague Joel Topcik in a recent interview. Two weeks ago, CNET sponsored the “Office 2.0” conference (editor’s note: that sounds like a hoot) in San Francisco, and the Ad: Tech summit in New York next week, be sure to drop in for the “TV 2.0” seminar.

Years back, 2.0 implied cutting edge and forward thinking. Now it implies that the marketing department needs a Red Bull, or perhaps a permanent vacation. Either someone’s got to raise the bar to 3.0, or we scrap the decimal concept altogether.

By Michael “Mike 3.0” Malone