The Internet is a global environment, but somehow the American influence makes it a property of the American websites owners and surfers. The European are very late to wake up and there is nothing to provide them the same opportunity despite the fact that the EU has more people and much more money.
Being a consultant to an American Web 2.0 site I was told that this site will be blocked to users from a long list of countries, among them several EU countries. I objected, as personally I think its stupid especially from a site that didn't see its first hit yet. But it occurred to me that there is a very bad wind coming from USA. Blocking sites is just a step in a process that started a long time ago. American websites that ignore the rest of the world, on-line business offers that are valid only to US citizens. Advertisers that will not pay for clicks or impressions that comes from any other country then the US or Canada (in some cases the UK is also considered). American sites can easily raise funds while better, bigger and much more innovative solutions from the Europe or Israel or any other place will fail.
The American own the web… or at least they think so. Few days ago I check the new hype called the Joost that supposed to offer TV on line, in high quality and a lot of interactivity. I discovered a baloon full of hot air 23 boring TV stations most of them (21) are from the USA running on a fancy multimedia software (something I started 3 years ago). Absolutely nothing that belong to the founders of Kazza and Skype. And the whole noise is while the European TV stations on the web are much better much more interesting and in better quality (I know it as the Videowebgate.com contain them all). So the Joost was designed to Americans.
Do you think there is less money in France, Germany, Spain, UK, Italy then in the USA ? I don't think so. There are more users in the EU, More money and much more sophisticated users. (Maybe this is the point, its easier to sell rubbish to the average American). But the big question is why nothing is been done in Europe ? Why aren't they European web advertising agencies ? Why isn't there an on line syndication of EU TV content, where are all the European advertisers, how come a website owner from France has to beg to place ads in his sites just because most of his users are obviously French. If the American believe the rest of the world worth less then lets start buying where we are equal. Spend the money in European sites rather then American. It seems to me that this situation creates an opportunity, unfortunately in Europe there is nobody who can take an opportunity, the American does, and so they leave us all behind.