Social finance seems to have gained root on the web. Sellaband is a great concept. It enables musicians and their fans to raise the money for a professional recording, selling music through the site and the sharing of any advertising spoils. At the end everyone makes money – the artist, the believers [fans] and the site itself.

Not very different, is myfootballclub.com where 50,000 fans contributed to buy a football club in England. The web site collected the money, voted on the purchase of a club, signed a deal, and is now facilitating members make decisions on the future of this club, including selection of players for matches. Wonderful, for a country where billionaires like Roman Abramovich, an Ukrainian, owns the popular club Chelsea. Who says you have to be a billionaire to won a football club.

The implications of these examples are enormous for how business will be done on the web in the future.

• Think of anything big budget: Movies, Cricket Clubs, Luxury Yachts, Cruise Liners
• Use the web to raise the money
• Get professional managers to manage the business
• Facilitate shareholder participation, voting and discussion through the web site

Well, we live in interesting times, don’t we?