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Loading ...Dan Hull asked, “Hey Chris, my friend and mentor on quite a few things whether you know it or not: (1) When did the blogospshere ‘height’ happen, anyway? (2) What stage now? Interested in what you have to say.” I am going to use a surfing analogy since I am from Hawaii.
All of us are Internet professionals. You live and breathe the Internet, the Web, and the Blogosphere. You are the worst judges of what the state of the Blogosphere really is! You’re just too close. You really need to get some perspective. I grew up in Hawaii believing everyone surfed, because everyone did, and most were better than me; however, most of the world not only isn’t a surfer but has never surfed, not even on holiday. The following was written in 2006 but still may be true…
The Blogosphere and Blogging are Not Yet at the Tipping Point But Almost
Are the blogs at a tipping point? I discuss the state of the blogosphere using surfing analogy in a previous article, Surfing as a Metaphor for the State of the Blogosphere but it comes to this, “truth is, in terms of the height of the blogosphere, it isn’t even a wave yet. A few people have caught the wave already, but it is just forming. It certainly hasn’t crested! It is far from curling. The wave is still only accessible to the top 10%, but the real market is always in that 80%.”
Surfing as a Metaphor for the State of the Blogosphere
The best surfer can catch just about any wave and is always very discerning as to the quality of the wave and how much life it has in it. Shape, rideability, etc.
Well, the truth is, most surfers can’t even read a wave — not to mention the ocean — with such perception and understanding.
The expert surfer watches from the beach at all the garbage surf that the beginner is willing to catch. Shore break and already-breaking waves. Crap. These experts are offended by this sort of behavior. Both the short board shredder and the long board big-wave rider would look at an East Coast “surfer” and see a poseur. Those aren’t waves.
Truth is, in terms of the height of the blogosphere, it isn’t even a wave yet. A few people have caught the wave already, but it is just forming. It certainly hasn’t crested! It is far from curling. The wave is still only accessible to the top 10%, but the real market is always in that 80%.
This is a great time to start paddling but if you get up to quickly you might not get the wave. Spend the time working on your form, working on your skills, waxing your board.
Actually, you need to do what real surfers in Hawaii do before they even pick up their thruster and enter the chop:
Sit there and look at the waves. Sit there and get to know the sets. Sit there and see what other people are doing and learn from their mistakes. Make your own mistakes but in smaller surf on a longer board. Practice before you even get into the water. Pipeline is dangerous but really rewarding but any error is mortal. Make your mistakes in Waikiki on 2-4-foot sets. And wear your sunblock.
Now is the time to take to the waves even though lots of people were up and out even before sunrise. And just because they’re telling you not to even bother, always question their motives.
Question their motives because they might just want all the waves for themselves. At the end of the day, their motives might not be pure.
Filed under: Blog Strategy, Blogging, Blogosphere
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I think the wave metaphor is on point….
1) Make inroads into the general public via social networking, because MySpace and Facebook are effectively mainstream while blogging has some ways to go. Either get people off the facebook hook or incorporate a more robust blogging apparatus within facebook.
2) Blog networks that incorporate privacy and public settings. to many this may seem odd, but i think humans (or rather a combination of human biology 101 and Maslow’s hierachy of needs suggests that its the case that humans) need a minimal amount of privacy. self-disclosure is inevitably a gradual process. Vimeo the video network is doing this & they seem to be doing a good job of norming good community values.
3) Blogging has to be as easy as facebook. I think Blogger, Vox, Livejournal, and Wordpress are all almost there. I think for some writing is perceived as an english class assignment or they are’t confident about their writing.
4) Make podcasting simple on both PCs and macs.
5) Open ID to easily jump between networks.
6) Give blogging a cooler name. Or change the frame about what blogging is about… I wonder if 2-3 specific celebs made a big deal or you got $5-$10 of free iTunes music might hook people to start an account. if apple had a slick hosting environment that might work too. MTV might also be able to turbocharge such an effort. Making RSS more appealing is clearly important too. I wonder if it felt more natural or more like art, and less like BBS if that would increase the appeal.
It boils down to educate, make it easy, and make it cool.
Cheers!