Blog Niche
Aug 21st, 2006 by Dan Blank
Mike Rundle looks at the meaning of “the long tail” and why it may be difficult to create an A-List blog:
“If you look at nearly all blogs on the Technorati 100, it’s difficult to say they made it there solely on the quality of their content and not because of any external factors. These external factors (marketing, word of mouth, author fame, notoriety, etc.) do not guarantee quality content, but in the world of popularity I’d say that author fame trumps quality every single time, and that’s my point. So many new blogs are trying to emulate their heroes on the T-Rati 100 when they should actually forget about that and just develop their content and form their own niche, because the audience is already there waiting for them.”
For traditional journlists, publishers and media companies entering the blogging realm, this should be good news. The more I have involved myself in the online world, the more I realize that it is no different than the “real” world. Building relationships is a key ingredient to establishing success. All too often I get the impression that people look at “social media” as a technology driven movement; eg: if you build it, they will come.
Similar to a real life store front, there tends to be a lot going on behind the scenes, and if your town suddenly has a hugely popular new restaurant, there is most likely a seasoned and well-connected owner running the show.