Mar
19
The Network Effect
March 19, 2008 |
I couldn’t quite find an angle on Michael Arrington’s More Bloggers Raising Money rant from this morning (making me quite late to the party), until I read Louis Gray’s post on bloggers and networks tonight.
Here is what Arrington said:
What I’d like to see, and even be a part of, is the blogger equivalent to the 1992 U.S. Mens Basketball Dream Team. That team could take CNET apart in a year, hire the best of the survivors there, and then move on to bigger prey.
Just the thought of being a part of something like that has held us back from raising any outside capital at all. I believe we have the beginning of a team that can play a role in this new Dream Team.
First a few thoughts about this: I wonder if bloggers, in general, aren’t doing this already anyway. If there is any competition for the big tech networks out there right now, it’s the mass of good bloggers out there vying for attention and often getting it.
Also, aren’t the large blog publication like ReadWriteWeb, Mashable and others trying to do this already? And who is stopping CNET from recruiting whomever they please as well?
But back to the network effect: For a B-lister like me, taking down CNET isn’t really what blogging is about anyway (at least for now).
I prefer Louis’ angle of the informal network (that I’m more than glad to be a part of):
Bloggers, even those not raising funds, find friends and create informal networks. SheGeeks Joined Grand Effect today, a small tech blog network, including Sarah Perez of Sarah In Tampa. Closer to home, MG Siegler of ParisLemon, Steven Hodson of WinExtra, Jason Kaneshiro of Webomatica, Frederic Lardinois of The Last Podcast and I often refer to ourselves as “The B-List”, jokingly mocking our non-elite status. When not linking to each other or leaving comments on our blogs, we’re trading e-mail, or monitoring one another’s FriendFeed. There’s no money in it, and if we formed a network, we probably couldn’t raise enough cash to keep the lights on for a month.
I think this discussion highlights an important trends in blogging right now. On the one hand, there are the individual bloggers (like Louis, Jason, Corvida, Steven, Tony Hung and many others) that aren’t part of a network and, to a large degree, are doing it because we are passionate about a certain topic - but still have our day jobs.
On the other hand, there are the large networks (like CNET) and multi-blogger blogs (like Mashable, VentureBeat) that are getting more and more professional by the minute.
In the end, Arrington is probably right: the best of the individual bloggers will be absorbed by the large networks (MG Siegler just joined VentureBeat, and Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins (who is also part of the informal B-list ‘network’) blogs for Mashable, for example) and the small, more personal blogs will remain the breeding and proving ground from which the big guys will recruit. Given that Arington’s piece read a little bit like he is putting out feelers for a recruitment effort, I guess it just remains to be seen who will be snatched up by the big guys next.
For now, I’m more than happy to be part of this informal networks of friends. I know that being part of this group has sure pushed me to be a better blogger (hey - I try) and makes me feel more like I’m part of the community and not just a lonely voice trying to get my work out into the blogosphere.
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My worry is that as individual blogs become more successful, they may forget where they came from and become more mainstream. I would be fine with a blog network replacing CNET, but not if that network became as commercial and bland as CNET in the process.
This whole conversation has been pretty interesting from my new perspective - maybe i’ll do a short post about it - but I think I’m with you and Louis on the more informal networks.
Kind of a different situation since it’s not like ParisLemon was taken over by VentureBeat, just I was
@webomatica - very true - but then once that blog network has become bland, there is nobody preventing the cycle from starting over again
@MG - I was wondering if you were going to weigh in on this. I’m not sure if there is too much of a difference between folding an existing blog into a network or just getting the ‘talent’ to work for you. Something I need to think about.
“there are the individual bloggers…are doing it because we are passionate about a certain topic - but still have our day jobs.”
That describes me perfectly. When I came across the Lifestreaming concept over a year ago I was quickly consumed by it and couldn’t find any sites that provided information.
I saw the perfect opportunity to write (which I love) as well as fill a void and provide information for others within a very specific niche.
The bigger sites cover such a wide range of info. They rapid fire posts with shorter quick summaries. They seem to be in a race to scoop each other so they can get linked from other sites. Many times this compromises the quality of what they cover. They don’t often provide the level of details they should.
I think this opens the door allowing people to take their lead and expand on topics in much better because we are not bound by their rules. I feel this highlights some advantages of independent bloggers and why many rise to the top.
Great write-up and response Frederic! I’m not all worried about coming commercial, but I certainly hope to improve on my writing skills and how I come across to my audience.
I don’t think too many of us have to worry about politics as Mike has put it, but if it ever did come to that, I’d leave any network that I’m on. I refuse to play that game and I can afford that type of freedom because I’m not letting the money and fame get to my head.
Certainly in any area of fast growth, such as the blogosphere, things are in flux.
No individual or individual company, from a well funded VC to Michael Arrington (not that he would want to nor try to) is going to the be the single organizing force. It is too big a marketplace already and too widely distributed. But every movement does have its leaders, to be sure.
The other question I have is, in the blogosphere is all publicity good publicity? I don’t believe that it is.
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