A Knife and a Toothpick

My grandpa always carries around a gigantic Swiss army knife. With 23 tools, he is ready for any situation he may encounter…nevermind the fact that he is either in his apartment or at the grocery store. Despite all the tools at his disposal, I have only seen him use two of the tools: the knife and the plastic toothpick.

I’ve found myself doing the same. Whether it is around the house, at work or online, I always look for my knife and my plastic toothpick. The few items I actually use, the few people I actually talk to or the few websites I actually visit.

When I look at how technology is used, this is always the case: WE ONLY WANT A KNIFE AND TOOTHPICK.

We don’t need the latest social network or the flashiest site and we don’t need to know how to check-in on Foursquare or answer questions on Quora. Instead, we only need to know how to enter our own corner of the internet, our Sandbox.

This is a huge relief for individuals trying to learn how to join a social network or get online. They don’t need to learn it all. They only need to learn what is inside their Sandbox, to know enough to see photos of grandkids, to download books or to read about cooking.

This is a huge relief for business owners like myself who are trying to figure out how they should use technology. We don’t need to learn it all. We don’t need to be everywhere. We only need to know which Sandbox our customers are using and how to connect with them in that space.

This is how the internet always has been. Despite the promise and potential to access anything, we generally choose a controlled, safe environment that is predictable and often walled-off.

The Rise and Fall of America Online

America Online is how many of us first learned how to use the internet. Except it wasn’t the internet as we know it today; it was America Online.

We would put in our free CD and connect to America Online pages. Our email, news, weather and financial advice (Motley Fool started as an AOL page!), were all provided by America Online. It was the platform, a walled-off Sandbox where we learned to navigate and could predict what things would look like and what to expect.

The AOL Sandbox was fun for a while, but since it was closed off to the outside world, other Sandboxes began to form that had bigger sandcastles, better shovels and more interesting playmates. It was apparent that the creativity and innovation outside the walls of the Sandbox was greater than one company could ever be. As more people began considering moving to a new Sandbox, America Online changed its role from that of content provider to connector.

With the iconic beeps and static, we would call America Online connect to the internet. America Online changed from the platform to the Internet Service Provider (ISP). As Tim Wu notes in The Master Switch (affiliate), this change didn’t last long as broadband internet soon made America Online obsolete by connecting customers directly to the internet.

Finding a Sandbox

With a wide-open internet, users quickly began looking for their next Sandbox. The place that was predictable, easy-to-use and that had the information they wanted instead of the mass of noise and irrelevant content found without a filter. Sites like TypePad and MySpace created new Sandboxes where people could quickly master a specific skill online and connect with the people and ideas that they wanted to be surrounded by.

While these Sandboxes were forming, another Sandbox was growing: Facebook.

Facebook is today’s Sandbox

Now, over 600 million people go to Facebook for a walled-off environment where they can interact just with the people they choose. They can see photos, talk with friends, stalk old classmates and keep track of the events that matter to them. This controlled environment is a perfect start for individuals or businesses that have been hesitant to get online. You can learn quickly how to get online and can connect with your friends, family or customers. If you don’t have time for a multitude of social networks, Facebook can be your knife and toothpick.

Is Facebook today’s America Online?

While Facebook is an easy place to create a web presence, America Online taught a very important lesson: one company will never be as entrepreneurial and innovative as the masses. While Facebook may be the Sandbox of choice for millions of people, other Sandboxes are always being created and people may learn to use and play in multiple Sandboxes, or they may decide that the information they want is best found behind the walls of a different Sandbox.

As businesses, it is important to watch where people are going so we can choose which Sandbox we should actually use. We don’t need to be everywhere online, but only where our customers are.

As start-ups trying to create the next Sandbox, an important lesson to remember is that many people want a controlled safe place to connect with information and people. Create a knife and toothpick instead of a corkscrew and nail file.

Choose Your Sandbox

The internet puts the world’s knowledge at our finger tips, but just like my Grandpa, we probably only need the knife and toothpick. Facebook might be the easiest place for you to get started. Or maybe you are like my uncle who is on the combine and only has time for a site like Twitter that he can easily check on his phone. Or maybe, all you want to do is read the local paper online and visiting that website is all you need. Whatever it is you want to do online, you can find a Sandbox that will help you. Don’t be overwhelmed by possibilities, instead choose your Sandbox and start digging. Soon you’ll be ready to explore the boundaries and try the other 21 tools out there.

What is your knife and toothpick? Leave a comment and let us know where you spend your time online and what you think the next big Sandbox will be.

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If you are hesitant to get online or need help making the most of technology, visit Sandbox where you can learn to make the most of social technology.