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Why Kottke’s Micropatronage Initiative Is Bad for the Web
If you haven’t heard, A-list blogger Jason Kottke has quit his day job and decided to devote himself to maintaining his weblog full time. He’s asking people to support him by becoming micropatrons of kottke.org and giving him money. So far, so good.
Based on how many people are talking positively about this in the blogosphere he’s going to succeed — for sure. But that, says
Angie McKaig, is a problem:
The thing that’s bothering me the most, though, and this took the longest to figure out – is that he’ll succeed. He’s networked well enough and high-profile enough that he’ll make the money he needs to live on – my guess is, and then some. But it’s not his success that will bother me. It’s what will be spread as a message to every other curiosa: you really can make money on the Internet with no focus.And oh, that bothers me. Bothers me the same way it bothers me when people continually slap up horrifying plug-n-play e-commerce web sites and then have the gall to look surprised when they don’t hit their $30,000 sales targets the first month.
Amen! If you want to be successful, long term, on the Internet find a tiny niche and work at it!
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drew on February 24th, 2005 8:39 am
Hocus pokus with the focus. Kottke is one of the most influential filters of information on the internet. What less focus does he have than the New York Times? What less focus does he have than your own life in general? Every single day hundreds of thousands of people are positively influenced by the best little tidbits of information that life has to offer as a result of Kottke being able to find and bring that information to the forefront. Also, specifically, if you are interested in the development of design and technology, you would see the focus and the important relevance. If you had a little less-focus on how business SHOULD BE, you might eventually find more value for yourself too. It takes all kinds to make the world go ’round. Just an opinion.
oliver gassner on February 24th, 2005 9:29 am
I see a big difference between somebody with an ‘put of the box’ webshop and someone who has been providing content for free to the web.
IF a blogger becomes so high-profile that he CAN consider to go freelance then his content is obviously _so_ valuable, that he might think about relying on the support of those who want to read his content.
I also theink that bloggers have more skills than ‘just’ blogging. Blogging involves quite a range of skills that can also be used to generate revenue. Writing columns for other media (not ‘blogging’ for them), take part in panels, give speeches, write books (not “only” about blogging), consult or coach on blogging (companies like GM or Disney…).
I am writing about this in my own blog, but in German. There is a tiny English summary though ;)
I see other problems if someone say: Now I am only a blogger. I might write about that, even in English. ;)
pc4media on February 24th, 2005 11:47 am
Jason Kottke Turns Beggar to Voluntary Subscriptions
Update II 2/24/05: Looks like I am not the only one that finds this an issue. Although, there is more reasoning here. Update Begin: Kottke clarifies what he is asking for: Another way to look at the money that people
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