Youtube, Lulu.com, BlogTalkRadio, and many more websites and services out there are throwing down a challenge. It's not apparent, but in time I'm betting it'll become moreso.
It's a challenge to all those people who say "I can do better."
Think you can make a better music video? Book? Web page? Think you can sell your art better or sell your crafts better?
From Etsy to Smashwords, the tools are out there that, the next time someone says they can do better with some creative endeavor, they have the opportunity to put their money where there mouth is. There's no reason not to publish a book or sell cosplay materials online, because there's many ways to do it.
I don't think the cultural repercussions of the sheer amount of power, from web tools to programs, has truly hit. We are in a time where anyone with decent computer skills and access can publish an eBook or sell online, and as more and more tools become available (and through simpler devices), more people can access that power. Someday, these repercussions will be felt, if only by the sheer weight of tools – and the amount of people using them.
I wonder if there will be a day where "I can do better" is far less an empty phrase, and more something where people will truly try to put their money where their mouth is – or others can more easily challenge them. I can easily see so many tools and options being available that "I can do better" is a phrase with far different repercussions.
I also think that, with such power, it will make people more aware that "doing better" is a lot more than selling that art or running that blog. It's about sales, marketing, and more.
Of course there may be more tools to help with that as well . . .
I'm looking forward in the next few years to see how "I can do better" changes in the world of art, creativity, writing and more . . .
– Steven Savage