This is the season for randomly assigning Web 2.0 companies to lists. In this case, we have the lists of this year’s winners and losers of Web 2.0.

The reality is that all of the companies listed are innovators, changing the way that people use the web, and many of them have quite a bit of steam left before we can call them “losers”. Even so, it is worth taking a look at some of the choices that were made.

The Winners

(2) WordPress

I have to agree. Wordpress is easy to use, easy to extend and absolutely free. If you are a blogger, there are almost no reasons why you should not be using this great piece of software.

(4) YouTube

Lets face it, if anything is going to dethrone mainstream media (for better or for worse) it will be social video. History will recognize YouTube as the service that started it all.

(9) Skype

As far as the culture is concerned, Skype is the only VoIP that matters. Until that changes, they are sitting pretty in a market that can not help but grow.

The Losers

(10) Technorati

Now, I understand that a blog search engine might not be terribly exciting, but Technorati does one thing very well — it allows blog owners to engage in friendly competition. Technorati might be spinning its wheels now, but it still has quite a bit of potential. I, for one, am unwilling to sell it short.

(9) SixApart

I still see far too many Typepad blogs out there to count SixApart out. I really don’t know the appeal, but obviously quite a few bloggers do. If only for that, they should be taken off the losers list.

(7) AOL

OK, maybe I was wrong, maybe this list does have some merit afterall.

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