Anatomy of a severely flawed piece of advice
Well folks, it looks like this will be my last blog post ever. Apparently blogging is passe and I didn’t know it. I know this will come as a shock to the thousands of bloggers who read this and many other blogs, but it looks like we’ve come to the end of the road with blogging.
Paul Boutin, WIRED contributor, wrote “Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And if you’ve already got one, pull the plug.“ -”Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004”
WIRED Gets It Wrong Again
He goes on to say something like it’s impossible for home-grown blogs to get noticed among all the big money blogs supported heavily by advertsers and scores of posts per day.
I’m sorry, but does this mean that blogs like Dooce.com, TheBlemish.com and thousands of other home-grown, single writer blogs making great money are no longer viable?
I think Heather Armstrong would have something to say to the contrary. Surely her rabid followers who can post thousands of comments on any given blog post might disagree. (Looks like she spent days crafting this post.)
The Friday Traffic Report is run by one person and most of the content is written by me. It is responsible for an insane income per month. According to Boutin, I should just give it up because Facebook, Twitter, and others make it so easy to share pictures and ideas?
I am 90% sure that since Boutin’s article is in the entertainment section of WIRED, and he is mainly talking about people who simply “play” on the web, that it is geared toward that demographic.
I say 90% because he doesn’t indicate who he is talking to or about in the article.
Should You Throw In The Towel?
Giving up on blogging, the best and easiest way to publish information online and get noticed, simply because there’s a lot of crap and competition out there, is like giving up on email because of spam.
Using solely free services to establish your presence online is foolish on many levels if you are, in fact, interested in running a business online. Blogging is a business for many people. Not a hobby and not something that can be replaced by Facebook and other social media sites where you give up the rights to any content you put on them the moment you publish it.
So while I am almost sure Boutin is talking to people who aren’t interested in professional blogging, the article makes a huge gaffe in leaving that qualifying information out.
People will read his article and think they can “make it” on the web without a blog. That’s just impossible to support given that blogs now get more traffic than Facebook or Myspace.*
Jason Calacanis Gave Up Blogging, So There!
In his Jason Calacanis example, the author shows he doesn’t know the whole story of why Calacanis was able to quit blogging in favor of a private mailing list.
“Pour your heart out in a post, and some anonymous troll named r0rschach or foohack is sure to scribble beneath it, “Lame. Why don’t you just suck McCain’s ass.” That’s why Calacanis has retreated to a private mailing list. He can talk to his fans directly, without having to suffer idiotic retorts from anonymous Jason-haters.” -Boutin
Wouldn’t we all like to be so popular and rich that we could just go back to email newsletter publishing and have an immediate following? That’s exactly why Jason got out of blogging. He didn’t have to blog anymore. He was already famous. He’s already rich.
The rest of us who aren’t on the stage making money for simply being Calacanis have to provide our own stage. That, above any other means of publishing and getting attention, is best achieved through running a blog.
Since I am biased on the subject, just use our friends Google and Technorati to prove the point.
And if you are a discouraged blogger who wants to make money from a blog where you present your witty, insightful, and relevant content, don’t shake a stick at the successful blogs and play the victim of venture capital-backed power blogs in your niche.
Complaining that you cannot compete and throwing in the towel hurts no one but you. For every uber blog making millions per month in advertising and product sales, I can easily point out other bloggers in those niches making very decent income from being just somewhat popular.
Social Media Has A Place
We use social media to build followings and attract people to our blogs. Not to give away our content rights and have no real assets of our own at the end of the day upon which to build.
And hey, if you don’t like to write, I have good news. There are other forms of media to put on your blog!
If you have great passion for producing your content and sharing it with the world, but you don’t know how to market your site to get traffic and attention, then do something about that.
But don’t give me the “there’s no way I can compete with massive, well-funded blogs in my niche” sob story. People are proving that you can compete with the big boys if you want to. But more importantly, regular mom and pop operations are proving that you don’t have to compete with the biggest bloggers on the web to make a great living.
Boutin, Himself, Proves The Point
“Take a clue from Robert Scoble, who made his name as Microsoft’s “technical evangelist” blogger from 2003 to 2006. Today, he focuses on posting videos and Twitter updates. “I keep my blog mostly for long-form writing,” he says.” -Boutin
But the point is, Scoble keeps his blog. He has (as his home base and true asset) his blog site. The rest is for getting out and playing with new friends (and driving them back to the blog where the important stuff is).
If anything, this last point works against the whole argument that blogging is over. Scoble would never give up blogging after everything it has done and continues to do for him.
Nor will I give up blogging to jump into a sea of A.D.D. on social sites where, if you want to talk about getting lost in the noise, my video about something great links to….nothing at all.
—
*comScore Media Metrix found that blogs had 77 million unique visitors in the US in August 2008, compared with 75.1 million unique visitors to MySpace and 41 million to Facebook. -eMarketer
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Jack, Thanks for letting us not so famous. (Hell we’re mostly unknowns in this vast internet world) know that we’re not doing this in vain. And ONE writer for wired does not dictate what the masses (who enjoy thier blogging, for what ever reason) should give up or not give up on.
Depending on how our election goes, for some of us blogging may be all we have left that we can claim as our own. And the minds that create them. I appreciate all the great work you do for us unknowns in cyberland
Keep up he great work!
Gary McElwain
Gary McElwains last blog post..Achieving Life-Changing Success Through Mentoring For Free
Blogging… Dead?
it’s just starting… it’s going to grow for quite some time too!
continuous content is what search engines love that’s why blogs are growing like crazy!
Give up blogging? NEVER! Even if it wasn’t my primary source of income, I just love it too much!
Melanies last blog post..Redesigning acousticvids!
Oh to the contrary! I think that blogs will continue to grow as long as people want to have their own, and I mean personal webspace, that they can fully express themselves. Without Facebook or the like ever being able to use your content and private details for their own gain, In fact several of my friends are talking about getting off the Facebook bandwagon altogether and finding another outlet entirely. Clearly this expresses some concerns.I am inclined to to think that personal blogs in conjunction with equally private forums are the way of the future, albeit even though Facebook is a great way of getting in touch with people, more mature audiences want something more substantial. each and everyone to their own I guess. Viva La Blog!!
The Earth is a huge place with over 7 billion or more people on it. Surely, a dedicated, talented and patience blogger can find a niche. There is no zero sum game with blogging.
We all are not sheep.
VlogHogs last blog post..54 Milllon Dollar Lawsuit For Lost Pants Goes On
Reminds me of that old saying that goes something like this:
“Better to be thought stupid, than to open one’s mouth and prove it!”
Perhaps Paul Boutin should check his facts a bit more closely next time, before sharing his ignorance with the whole world!
Thanks Jack - I enjoyed a laugh at his expense (and then went and posted a comment on your blog, that “does not work”)
Eran
Eran Malloch - No B.S. Search Engine Marketing blogs last blog post..5 Top AdWords Landing Page Tips
I’ve said elsewhere that the open media revolution is to our times what Gutenberg’s press was to his - absolutely not, it isn’t dead. In fact, since the internet is only 18 years old, I’d say we’re just in the infancy of blogging and social networking. Even if you get in now, you’re an early adopter!
Brandon Coxs last blog post..20 Great SEO Sites
Blogging is dead? Gosh, I’m gonna miss it.
Once again, the old adage ” Common sense is becoming more Uncommon” comes to mind.
On the other hand, if I was a trendy-boy gossip writer, I’d be tempted to write a blog post about something ridiculous so that someone might think that I’m a trend-setting blog stud.
Maybe a Maga-Blog like Wired might actually post it, and then maybe a genuine Social Media Blogging Heavyweight ( no offense, Jack) might write about it, and then….I’d be a little media darling! ….on all the best blogs!
Sure, blogging is dead.
Let’s blog about it !
Blogging is definitely not dead! Actually it’s growing even more. There are thousands of people who make their living from blogging and more are doing it every day.
Trent Brownriggs last blog post..How to Make Money by Saving Money
I hope you are right. I am a fledgling. I have earned less than I have spent. Only about a month ago, I launched a new blog http://www.repairsewingmachines.blogspot.com with the hope that it would help with Google. I have posted religiously to it every day or so. So far I have not seen big results, but I sure hope to.
It seems there is a lot of giving up these days. I believe the learning curve for internet marketing is just pretty steep. If you quit, you lose everything.
Thanks for your encouragement.
And here’s the nail in the coffin. This week I’m gearing up to offer a package to my freelance clients to get their own blogs installed, running, and indexed in time for Christmas! These are for regular small businesses, maybe even local gift shops that depend on real people in the real world for their business.
Hmmm, if they’re finding that blogs are a great, easy way to set up shop and keep their web business fresh for current and potential customers then it is definitely time to blow the whistle and get everyone out of the pool now. Heaven forbid that they should enjoy the same benefits as a fortune 500 company for a fraction of that enterprise’s coffee bill.
Well, the Internet is just a fad anyway, right?
That Wired piece reminds me of the typical technology article written by a clueless reporter. For instance, it mentions people leaving blogging to go to Twitter, but I thought Twitter was considered microblogging. Doesn’t sound like they quit blogging.
Gotta run- I’m meeting with investors to launch my own telegraph service. Within 2 years everyone will dump their cell phones in favor of Morse code.
Chris Lockwoods last blog post..A free alternative to Microsoft Office
@Chris - LMAO!
Sorry, guys, I don’t know if you took the time out to actually read the post but it’s really fairly reasonable…in relation to most bloggers.
Jack, FTR is a wonderful exception to the rule but to be fair, internet marketing and SEO/linking of 2004/5 has been integral to your success, whereas many bloggers in this field barely get a comment, never mind make a great living out of blogging.
Mind you, internet marketing bloggers seem to do far better than the opinion in cyberspace blogger, which is what the article really refers to.
Read the article. It may not be 100% right but it does make some valid comments.
Andrew Goulding
Andrew Gouldings last blog post..Xango Glimpse Skincare: Interview With Elena Larsen
Good Lord.
The Wired article is just plain foolish. (Yes, I actually read it)
This will make some people not begin, when a blog would have been the perfect vehicle for them.
People will ALWAYS slavishly follow someone covering a subject that interests them, and if rich media is included - video in particular - it will work superbly.
I guess the fool was thinking of blogs full of uninspired, unoriginal text. In that case he may be right. Maybe was envisaging his own level?
Blog on team.
Blog on ’till sunrise. These are the days.
Jonathan
Jonathans last blog post..JonathanGunson: @stephenfry What on earth are you doing in Kampala? Uganda is about as unquintessential as you can get … but maybe that’s the idea.
@Andrew - I’m pretty sure that’s what the author meant by his article, but he didn’t state as much in the article itself.
And there are tons of bloggers outside of the IM niche who do very well without any marketing experience whatsoever.
Dooce.com and TheBlemish.com are examples of bloggers who don’t know what pagerank is and have never heard of any IM gurus before. But look at their numbers!
There are thousands of such blogs out there - far more than all the IM blogs.
I would say you have a fair point on this. However just imagine someone in the IM niche interest area buying guru product of the moment being told blogging is the next great thing!
I have seen many great blogs that are written by people who, like you said have not the faintest idea of page rank etc. This is not so much the end of a revolution but the beginning of an evolution for the net.
Ahh, opinions. Don’t you just love ‘em! Blogging as an income generator and spot for reaching your target market is ideal for those of us who are ‘writer-editor-chef-janitor’.
My blog isn’t earning me millions but it does keep the wolves in the forest where they need to be and not at my door:)
Thanks Jack for again bringing reality into the internet mythology mix. Bravo to all you single bloggers adding value and not giving in. We’re all in this together.
Georjinas last blog post..How To Gauge Your Progress & The Art of Reciprocity
@Jack, I don’t disagree but for most bloggers, Cyberspace is a pretty lonely place.
Andrew Gouldings last blog post..Xango Glimpse Skincare: Interview With Elena Larsen
Why make this a big deal…?
Blogging will not be dead, so is the Internet, the Newspaper, the Magazine, Microsoft, Yahoo….everything!
May be blog is not as hot as few years back, it is just simply because blog has grown up, and media only like “New”, “Young” stuff…
For me, learning the craft of blogging was a good part of the reward.
Call me old fashioned, but I enjoy communicating in whole words and cogent thoughts.
For some, there may be more to it than just chasing the buck $$$ and generating ‘traffic’.
Bill
Bill Urells last blog post..Addiction Recovery Video
Yeah that is crazy. There is plenty of over-hype by bloggers about how you can get rich easily. But the idea that they are dead is not accurate at all. Now if you want to say 95% of them are dead yeah that is true. Just look how many blogs don’t have a post in the last 6 months. But blogging is alive and well for those that are willing to commit to it. And yes, as you mention, you can reach a point where other methods of communication might be better suited for much of what you want to communicate. That doesn’t mean blogs are dead.