I was talking about web appilcations with a friend tonight, about how certain sites hit that sweet spot. What is it that makes their stuff better? What is it that we see that defines the difference?

So what makes them special?

• Google: authoritative answers
• Flickr: inspiration in photography
• Wikipedia: knowledge out the wazoo

The smaller sites are similar too, though with a narrower focus:

• 37Signals: simple life hacks
• JoelOnSofware: interesting software rants
• BoingBoing: compelling wild and weird stuff

It’s interesting that most of these guys are third generation web, and they all eclipsed their competitors by being damned good at their shtick. Being best is far more important than being first, and picking something we all want or need is absolute.

In product-land, the iPod is another clear winner. It does tunes. It does them well, end-to-end. No fuss. Like Google or Flickr, the iPod is clearly the best, with a limited set of features.

You’ll also notice that big success lacks the sickly-sweet corporate fermentation process. You won’t find meaningless mission statements or shallow product vision papers. What you find is clear, pragmatic thinking. Make it simpler. Make it better. Do one thing well. Damn the competition, because we’ll kick their ass.