I used Pownce for about a month this past summer. Probably right in and around the peak shown on Uncov. Which is about the same amount of time I used 30 boxes a couple of years ago…and a number of other seemingly nifty websites/applications/software in between.

Why do some things stick and others don’t?

Here are the online spots I frequent the most.

Facebook
Twitter (recently and unexpectedly revived)
Gmail
Bloglines
Hype Machine

Note that I also have accounts on Flickr, Pownce, MySpace and Google Reader. I also have considered checking out Adam’s favorite spot - Mahalo. But so far, haven’t.

Why?

I don’t use Flickr because I can use Facebook.
I don’t use Pownce because I’ve got Twitter/Facebook/Email/My blog.
I don’t use MySpace because I’ve got Facebook.
I don’t use Google Reader because…well, I’m lazy and Bloglines works just fine for me.
And, I haven’t tried Mahalo because I’m a Googler. I know, I know. It’s different. And if I tried it I’d probably change my mind. But so far, haven’t checked it out and haven’t felt like I’m missing out (sorry, Adam).

Here’s Uncov’s analysis of Pownce’s slide downhill:

Useless service X is released after 2 months of MySQL/CSS development.
Arrington covers it, thousands of users signup. Mike takes his ad revenue.
People either stop giving a shit or realize your service does not solve any problems for them.
Fail.

Yeah…that about covers it - however I think there’s also a level of innovation that is missing right between “thousands of users” and “people stop giving a shit”.

Note that Flickr, Google Reader and MySpace (at least for now) remain just fine - Pownce is the only one in my short list of examples that is in trouble. In part this is likely due to how young they are, while Flickr and MySpace have been simmering for far longer and Google Reader is…Googlerific. But that’s only part of the story - there’s too many other little success stories to rely on these excuses observations.

These services could stay alive (yes, even with Facebook clearly taking over in an incredible number of areas, as my brief ‘off the top of my head’ list above points out) - but they need to be ultra conscious of how they can differentiate themselves from the competition. And cater to the users that remain loyal after the buzz dies down. Make them happy - ask them what they want - pay close attention to how they’re using your service.

It’s not foolproof, and couldn’t possibly save everything - but at least if that’s the approach/mindset/daily mantra…some clarity, and maybe a little hope, will get you through the week.