The topic is the Internet's utter lack of usability in Robert Scoble's May 2008 FastCompany column, How to Fix the Web: The online world isn't always user-friendly. But it easily could be.

The problem:

"For all the cool things we can do, Internet breakthroughs don't play well together -- or even talk to one another. Ironic, no? The Internet, which is shorthand for "interconnected network" and is one of the most significant achievements in the history of communication, is often broken because applications don't interact. We spend all our time hopping from one island of information to another, repeating the same tasks, costing ourselves and our businesses time and money. The good news is that, even as I complain, there are efforts under way to make things better."

The plug:

"Thankfully, the folks over at DataPortability.org are working with social-networking outfits to get them to adopt the existing technologies that will let users share data between sites. But it's not going to be easy."

The call to action:

"The Internet has already exploded many notions about business. It's time that we stop hoarding customers and their information in silos for fear of them straying. If you love them, set them free."