As an early adopter, you tend to sign up for web services long before they make it big and get purchased by the big guys (or in rare cases, become one of the big guys). And in many cases, a big guy (Google) takes a cool idea (Writely) and turns it into something that millions are using every day (Google Docs/Apps). Many of the services I have been used have been purchased by the big guys in some form or other: CBS owns Last.fm and Comcast has purchased both Fandango (a year ago) and Plaxo (this month) relatively recently. It seems that 95% of the time, both myself and the web community at large are pleased with the overall results of these mergers/takeovers/swallowingups. But then there is that 5%. Let's take a look at them in depth.

Jaiku

When Google bought this "other Twitter" 7 months ago, we all expected tons of feature-updates and Googlified integrations. According to the Jaiku FAQs of the purchase, "Activity streams and mobile presence are important areas where we believe Google can add a lot of value for users." And yet it has been months, nothing has changed, and users in general flock to the open, updated Twitter (recent Twitter server problems notwithstanding).

Feedburner

When Google bought Feedburner, the web stats/publishing application, I personally expected tight integration with Google Analytics to make a one-stop web stats software. Again, little has changed and I'm still logging in to one Google application to check visitors and one application (without a Google login) to check feed readers.

GrandCentral

This one is my personal annoyance. GrandCentral is a great phone service; heck, I use it for a home voicemail system as I don't have a land line. While this one is a bit more established than, say, Jaiku, I still haven't seen the Googlification that I have anticipated. Why can't I receive text messages to my GrandCentral number? Why doesn't it identify numbers from public ID databases? Why why why?

Like it or not, I think the reality is that the Big Guys don't always turn Cutesy StartUp into Pure Gold. While many of them become software and sites we frequent, just as many disappear into oblivion forever, or at least remain in some form of early beta status that doesn't make it to the Big Top. Personally, though, I'd love to see the Big Guys dedicate some more time (and publish regular updates!) to those little startups that still have thousands of loyal users. After all, I imagine they invested that dough for a reason.

One of the things that has happened with the explosion of Web 2.0 is the surplus of user accounts and personal profiles. As more and more webservices become available, users end up having accounts with dozens of web services, often losing track of user names, passwords, and the e-mails associated with them. With that being said, here are a few tips for the millions of users who struggle to remember all of that information.

Keep your information somewhere else
It's not in your best interest to rely on your web browser to save your user names and passwords for everything. Sure, that will get the job done, but you are honestly not remembering passwords. When AIM is set to auto-login for several years, for example, do you even remember what your password is? There are a few ways to go about this, to be sure. It's best to find the way that works for you. Personally, I have an Excel sheet passworded and saved on a couple of computers, keeping a viable backup in case of any hardware failure. Keep your web profile maintained One of the biggest "crimes" on the web is the millions of user accounts on websites everywhere that are inactive and unused. If you're not going to use the web service, delete it! This will keep your web presence up to date so that real friends can connect with you, yet limit the false web presence you might be projecting. Did you register with a newspaper or community just for a one-time use? You should delete the account. It doesn't make sense to have all of that information on the web when you're not using it.

Make it easy for people to find you
One of the most effective ways to maintain a central profile that I have found is ClaimID. You can add your other Web 2.0 accounts, whatever they may be, and other websites that you are involved with, all via one central location (View my ClaimID page here). While I am just getting started with ClaimID, I have already found it to be of a very practical nature. It's simple, yet hard to deny that it makes it easier to find me on the services I use. Other services that I have since ceased using are no longer listed on my profile, allieviating any confusion.

How Important is This, Really?
Maintaining your web profile is probably not of any crucial nature at this stage. You're probably not at risk of having your web identity stolen, nor are you (probably) in danger of having someone hack into your e-mail and ruin your friendships. But consider this:

When you move, you make it a point to alert your friends and relatives to your new mailing address, your new job, and whatever other changes you make. On the web, you have just as many friends, perhaps more, and there is no reason to mislead them about where to find you.