By: Jumper Bailey

Jumper Bailey — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 06:33:00 +0000

Speaking strictly as a z-lister here, it seems that there is work involved in getting people to read your stuff.I can see why A-listers would tend to look to other A-listers (or A,B, and C listers at the very least) rather than attempt to take in the whole blogosphere (which of course is impossible). There are only 24 hours in a day, and going with the known quantities is likely to get you to the stuff you want faster.Another factor, I think, is aspirational linking (not so much for the A-list, since they’ve arrived, but for others). I think there is a normal human tendency to worker harder at building relationships with higher traffic bloggers for the benefits doing so can give your own blog. Not saying it’s good, virtuous, fair, or right, but I do think it’s a natural human tendency.So for a z-lister such as myself, it is a challenge to get the message out there when I feel I’ve done something worth reading.Sending emails has worked for me in some cases, and my modest traffic has spiked to slightly-less-modest (almost it’s still darn modest by experienced blogger standards) levels. It seems to return back to lower levels pretty quickly after that, though, which suggests that the piece was regarded as an interesting (let’s hope) one-of rather than a sample of what the whole blog’s about.The other challenge for me is that I’m blogging a bit off the beaten path. My stuff doesn’t tend to be time-sensitive or hot-topic-driven, so I’m not really jumping into the current raging conversation (whatever it may be). I’m just writing stuff I think people might enjoy reading.I do think there is a critical mass factor at play, since there has to be a certain level of regular traffic flowing through on a regular basis in order for the moments of inspiration to have any effect. People can’t start passing stuff around if nobody’s heard about it in the first place.Which is the main frustration for z-listers, I think. On those occasions when they do hit something out of the ballpark, there are no sports reporters around to carry the news.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 09:14:00 +0000

A year ago the blog I write for had 80,000 pageviews a month, and now we have over 1,200,000. It is quite possible to grow rapidly when you provide good content and lots of it, but it is true that it is hard to get there.One of the reasons why many “A-listers” don’t link to that many smaller blogs is probably that they just don’t read them. There are only so many hours in a day, and just keeping up with other A-Listers and the mainstream media can mean that there is precious little time for the 27 million remaining blogs.

By: Mathew Ingram

Mathew Ingram — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 23:45:00 +0000

Some good points, Kent. I think for the most part the blogosphere is a meritocracy, so hang in there — you’re writing some good stuff, and it will get noticed. And thanks for the mention. “Future A-lister” — I like the sound of that

Comments on: Doc Searls on The Sourceocracy

By: Jumper Bailey

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By: Mathew Ingram