Naming the Decade, Everyone's Right

After ten years, it seems like everyone is right on what we should call this decade. Who am I to argue the point or tell them they are wrong. Look, with the rise of social media, tweeter, blogs, everyone has a chance to create a reason and a meaning for this decade. We are all right, by you reading my blog you give me a review, buzz, recommendation, or thumbs up to help valiadate my idea.



In 1999, I created a term and wrote a pamphlet titled, "Unification of the Unies." Who would have thought that in many ways I'm right. The Unies - the term created from a Latin prefix based on the numbers between 0 and 9 - not only answers the problem about pronouncing this decade, 00s but it also sums up the decade perfectly.

The years between 2000 and 2009 were about the world becoming unified. Social media sites have made people connected and brought the world together. Youtube has encouraged people to search and view for funny videos throughout the world. Today, a family get together means logging on to Youtube to have your cousin show you all the recent funny videos he found. (This is true in my family because in the 90s we made videos but we had no where to show them.)



We are more connected with iPhones, Palm Pilots, Blackberry's and other mobile communication devices. Today, when going on a date, we don't learn how to accept different ideas and arguments. Now, we quickly search to see who is right and who is wrong. Or we call someone who can help us remember a certain or forgotten memory.

We keep up with people's lives by reading blogs and tweetering about their daily events. Today, the people who comment on David Segal's article about the missing decade name are able to communicate with each other and read their opinions. It is amazing, we have a chance to be connected to other readers.

Even September 11, 2001 helped unify the world. More religions were brought together during the memorial services than at any other time in the world.

Then the Swine flu showed the world that we are more connected as we track the spread and outbreak happening in real-time across the globe. We always new the flu was contagious but nothing like the Swine flu.

The world and the people on it wanted to grow and connect through forums and communities. Look at Wikipedia, a site truly created by the entire world adding and documenting the facts. Imagine people working together for free in order to serve a greater good. This is a small example of a larger phenomenon, open source.

Although, Napster was started operating in June 1999 until July 2001, we saw how the world was ready to interact and share. It was an example of things to come. The Unification of the World.

There is a draw back to this crazy and unifying world. We see this with the collapse of the world economies. Not only is the world's finances unified but the reasons why are too. We are going through another revolution, the Information Revolution. The world's economies are changing rapidly since people are able and willing to work for free. Yes, I said the word free, but Chris Anderson wrote about it in his book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price.

The ramifications of the world being able to work together is about to hit a crisis. Imagine how many jobs were lost due to Wikipedia's growth. Imagine how much money Microsoft lost due to the Linux operating system. Imagine how many newspapers have folded due to Google's search engine along with Craiglist's free postings of classified ads.

Google's growth illustrates the Global marketplace or the unified marketplace. Today, a great website can acquire a global marketplace. No longer do you need to go to the local shoe store when you can purchase shoes from Zappos at unbelievable prices and 100% satisfaction policies.

We truly are more unified then ever before!!! The Unies was about unification. Even though every one is right, the Unification in the Unies is by far the greatest example and accomplishment the world has ever participated in.

More to come!!!