Comments on: The big butt http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/ by Jeff Jarvis Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:40:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: kenjimori.com » Blog repertoire http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29591 kenjimori.com » Blog repertoire Fri, 17 Feb 2006 08:04:58 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29591 [...] Update: Technorati’s CEO, Dave Sifry aptly describes the point I wanted to make above, as “magic middle,” via buzzmachine (Jeff Javis). [...] [...] Update: Technorati’s CEO, Dave Sifry aptly describes the point I wanted to make above, as “magic middle,” via buzzmachine (Jeff Javis). [...]

]]> By: kenjimori http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29587 kenjimori Fri, 17 Feb 2006 06:11:35 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29587 This is, I think, what the recent New York magazine fails to cover in their article "Blogs to Riches." http://www.nymetro.com/news/media/15967/ This is, I think, what the recent New York magazine fails to cover in their article “Blogs to Riches.”
http://www.nymetro.com/news/media/15967/

]]> By: Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29449 Jeff Jarvis Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:39:50 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29449 Well, Yahuda, now that you've gotten that off your chest, what's stopping you. Bye-bye now. Have a nice day. Well, Yahuda, now that you’ve gotten that off your chest, what’s stopping you. Bye-bye now. Have a nice day.

]]> By: ashok http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29439 ashok Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:23:27 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29439 Rob & (ironically enough) the troll have brought up two really good questions: 1. According to Rob's description, the "magic middle" is numerous but devoted to issues they consider important. So is it representative of citizen participation in media at its best? (Or is there something inherently hierarchical about the concept of media that we might be missing here?) 2. What do numbers of reads and comments mean, exactly? The question of choice in terms of media creates the question of media <i>for whom</i>. (Again, is this really media we're dealing with?) Rob & (ironically enough) the troll have brought up two really good questions:

1. According to Rob’s description, the “magic middle” is numerous but devoted to issues they consider important. So is it representative of citizen participation in media at its best? (Or is there something inherently hierarchical about the concept of media that we might be missing here?)

2. What do numbers of reads and comments mean, exactly? The question of choice in terms of media creates the question of media for whom. (Again, is this really media we’re dealing with?)

]]> By: coturnix http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29438 coturnix Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:48:47 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29438 Niche bloggers are bloggers with real expertise on what they are writing about. Just look at medbloggers, edubloggers, science bloggers and blawgs. The best way to discover blogs in your area of interest is to start with topical <a href="http://sciencepolitics.blogspot.com/2006/02/big-butt.html" rel="nofollow">blog carnivals</a>. Check out their archives, look at the hosts and the contributors. See who else they link to and expand your circle that way. Niche bloggers are bloggers with real expertise on what they are writing about. Just look at medbloggers, edubloggers, science bloggers and blawgs. The best way to discover blogs in your area of interest is to start with topical blog carnivals. Check out their archives, look at the hosts and the contributors. See who else they link to and expand your circle that way.

]]> By: Rob http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29436 Rob Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:31:59 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29436 It's also interesting to note that people who fall into this "magic middle" are not likely to be subject to the daily pull of news stories back and forth. A site about knitting isn't going to detour off on today's media boondoggle. Bigger sites are, it seems to me, almost certain to be very driven by the top stories of the day. When some blog in the Big Butt is talking about something, it's a lot more likely to be something that genuinely interests them. For example, Glenn Reynolds can't skip over silly comments made by Ann Coulter, but Joe's Fishing Hole can skip that silliness all day long. In a way, this makes the Big Butt much more dangerous to the MSM: they simply don't care about the silly made-up stories. They don't even have to say they don't care. It’s also interesting to note that people who fall into this “magic middle” are not likely to be subject to the daily pull of news stories back and forth. A site about knitting isn’t going to detour off on today’s media boondoggle.

Bigger sites are, it seems to me, almost certain to be very driven by the top stories of the day. When some blog in the Big Butt is talking about something, it’s a lot more likely to be something that genuinely interests them. For example, Glenn Reynolds can’t skip over silly comments made by Ann Coulter, but Joe’s Fishing Hole can skip that silliness all day long.

In a way, this makes the Big Butt much more dangerous to the MSM: they simply don’t care about the silly made-up stories. They don’t even have to say they don’t care.

]]> By: Yahuda Cohn http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29435 Yahuda Cohn Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:27:52 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29435 God, this blog is boring. That's probably why there are very few posts. I remember not that long ago (well maybe longer) there were more than 100 comments in a single thread. Not anymore. Posters have left for more interesting and engaging pastures. And, no wonder. This blog sucks. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy -- Jeff. God, this blog is boring. That’s probably why there are very few posts. I remember not that long ago (well maybe longer) there were more than 100 comments in a single thread. Not anymore. Posters have left for more interesting and engaging pastures. And, no wonder. This blog sucks. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy — Jeff.

]]> By: ashok http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/02/14/the-big-butt/#comment-29431 ashok Tue, 14 Feb 2006 20:52:32 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1137#comment-29431 With any good blogger, you've got two things going on, it seems: 1. Specialized content 2. An engaging persona Let's not discount #2 because its very existence as a factor brings up this question: Would it possible for someone to stick a photograph of a really attractive person in a blog and prattle away about nothing and get a ton of consistent readers? I don't think it's possible right now, because a good number of us who are in the blogosphere are people who are genuinely interested in new ideas, and happy to talk to others and have dialogue. We want to have useful things to say to people; we want to be relevant, we want to be helpful. I think as more and more people blog, an enormous problem is going to arise: #1 will become indistinguishable from #2, thus creating the degeneration of both critical elements of blogging, and an inability for good content to become popular and stay popular. Which is sad, because blogging is really writing, and it could improve our reading habits and our listening habits - taking time to reread what another has written might be considered the same thing as listening well, and some of us hold that to be a critical element of democratic society. With any good blogger, you’ve got two things going on, it seems:

1. Specialized content
2. An engaging persona

Let’s not discount #2 because its very existence as a factor brings up this question: Would it possible for someone to stick a photograph of a really attractive person in a blog and prattle away about nothing and get a ton of consistent readers?

I don’t think it’s possible right now, because a good number of us who are in the blogosphere are people who are genuinely interested in new ideas, and happy to talk to others and have dialogue. We want to have useful things to say to people; we want to be relevant, we want to be helpful.

I think as more and more people blog, an enormous problem is going to arise: #1 will become indistinguishable from #2, thus creating the degeneration of both critical elements of blogging, and an inability for good content to become popular and stay popular.

Which is sad, because blogging is really writing, and it could improve our reading habits and our listening habits - taking time to reread what another has written might be considered the same thing as listening well, and some of us hold that to be a critical element of democratic society.

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