As with a lot of such things, it is only true if a lot of people don't believe it is true. The very reason Flickr etc succeeded in 2003-4 was because dotcom bec

As with a lot of such things, it is only true if a lot of people don't believe it is true. The very reason Flickr etc succeeded in 2003-4 was because dotcom became such a dirty word by then. I have to admit even I was very skeptical at that time so I played my microscopic part in helping them succeed, by reducing the amount of noise they had to contend with! So if hundreds of start-ups hang on with grim determination that times will get better, times won't get better, the start-ups will just prolong their agony. The very reason some survive to emerge stronger is because others made way for them. Be honest: isn't it harder today to get attention than it was in 2003? What does that indicate for the average start-up, however good it may be?