Chris Anderson
The Long Tail
“Blogging is a way to make myself smarter.”
Chris Anderson is the editor in chief of Wired magazine, for which he was named Editor of the Year by Advertising Age magazine in 2005. Before joining Wired in 2001, Anderson held editorial positions in Hong Kong, London, and New York with The Economist; he’s also held positions at Science and Nature magazines. Educated in physics, Anderson has also done research at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
As you can see from Chris Anderson’s interview, you, too, can become part of the Long Tail phenomenon. To better serve the low-demand niche markets (or just to increase the quality of your own blog), consider these points:
There is no one “blogosphere.” There is an infinite number of blogospheres, each shaped by the tastes and experiences of individuals.
A blog is a thinking tool, a means of collecting, composing, and amplifying your thoughts—while getting useful feedback. Ideas are enriched by the experiences of blog readers.
A personal blog presents a better platform for communicating honestly and transparently than a company blog, where a writer is constrained by commercial considerations. However, remember that self-promotion is more effective when it includes a value-added element.
Distributed research project. A blog, especially one with a large community, can function as a distributed research project and become an efficient marketing platform.
A carefully selected set of feeds can make blogs function as an information filter.
When blogging, focus on specific interests. You don’t have to appeal to an overly diverse audience. Focused blogs are self-selecting, in that they draw readers who have a legitimate interest in the blogs’ subjects. Such readers are more likely to forgive errors and omissions, and will contribute more than someone just passing through.
Every blog, and every blogger, can be improved. To maximize your blog’s audience, focus with laser precision on your subject.
The Long Tail
“Blogging is a way to make myself smarter.”
Chris Anderson is the editor in chief of Wired magazine, for which he was named Editor of the Year by Advertising Age magazine in 2005. Before joining Wired in 2001, Anderson held editorial positions in Hong Kong, London, and New York with The Economist; he’s also held positions at Science and Nature magazines. Educated in physics, Anderson has also done research at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
As you can see from Chris Anderson’s interview, you, too, can become part of the Long Tail phenomenon. To better serve the low-demand niche markets (or just to increase the quality of your own blog), consider these points:
There is no one “blogosphere.” There is an infinite number of blogospheres, each shaped by the tastes and experiences of individuals.
A blog is a thinking tool, a means of collecting, composing, and amplifying your thoughts—while getting useful feedback. Ideas are enriched by the experiences of blog readers.
A personal blog presents a better platform for communicating honestly and transparently than a company blog, where a writer is constrained by commercial considerations. However, remember that self-promotion is more effective when it includes a value-added element.
Distributed research project. A blog, especially one with a large community, can function as a distributed research project and become an efficient marketing platform.
A carefully selected set of feeds can make blogs function as an information filter.
When blogging, focus on specific interests. You don’t have to appeal to an overly diverse audience. Focused blogs are self-selecting, in that they draw readers who have a legitimate interest in the blogs’ subjects. Such readers are more likely to forgive errors and omissions, and will contribute more than someone just passing through.
Every blog, and every blogger, can be improved. To maximize your blog’s audience, focus with laser precision on your subject.