If you’re over 40, you need to ask yourself the question, "did you have a CB radio?"

Millions of Americans did. It was a classic craze disguised as a trend. CB radio made everyone into a broadcaster. CB radio allowed millions of people to communicate with each other–strangers and friends. CB radio changed the social network and the way we connect. CB radio even inspired a movie. And then it went away, right back to the truckers who brought it to us.

Geocities was CB radio. Geocities allowed anyone to build a free website. It grew fast and then boom. Same with online greeting cards.  Email, on the other hand, was not CB radio. Email, on the other hand, really did change (almost) everything.

And what about blogs? Are blogs CB radio or are they email?

Brad Feld has a great post about the first 25,000. This is the CB radio audience. Every once in a while, (more on the web than ever before anywhere else) the CB radio guys find something that gets bigger and more permanent. The art is in distinguishing one from the other, and investing early (your time, not just your money) in the platforms that are more likely to reach everyone else.

Tell me again what RSS is?