“YKK Co. is now comprised of nearly 100 smaller companies acquired in the hugely successful years since their formation. They currently oversee around 200 facilities in 52 nations, worldwide – their factory in Macon, Georgia alone produces seven million zippers per day. They not only make every part of the zipper, but also the rigid fabric on either side of the zipper and the dye for that fabric.

The most incredible thing about this company, though, is that they actually manufacture the machines that make zippers (for – you guessed it – eventual use in other YKK factories). Seriously.”

Primer

Nobody would design a business like this today but then they’re almost a monopoly. Makes you think that vertical integration maybe isn’t a bad thing. Veritically integrated like Apple and Boeing when they delivered on time!

Suddenly the cheerleaders of centralized services have had their fingers burnt. Dave Winer twists the knife…

“Our blogs are still there, as is the web and the Internet. They never went away just because we foolishly flirted with something fast and easy and seductive. Our blogs never went away, they’re still ready to share our ideas and connect us with others.”

Dave Winer

So why are these centralized services so popular?

Personally, I believe that it’s simply easier for the media to get large audiences and then to report on the activity when they’re using a central system with a brand name.

The technical solution is far from perfect however it’s easier for the reporters. However, once people see the reality of scaling issues and a one size fits all design the boom will die!

Then we’ll all be back to buying domain names and running our own sites.