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Blogs — it’s all about the conversation

Started by mathewi · 1 year ago

This may or may not be part of the “secret sauce” in Gabe’s memeorandum.com, but I think Stowe Boyd is onto something. In a post about what makes blogs work — i.e., what makes them vibrant and helps them grow, as opposed to stagnating or becoming ... Continue reading »

6 comments

  • mark evans

    3 years ago

    mathew,
    looks like you're addressing the perplexing issue of how blogs get ranked? one thing i've tried to tackle is how the cream gets risen to the top, and how one would define "cream". for what it's worth, the blogosphere is what it is, i think. you find the blogs you like, you blogroll, link and trackback to them, and that's all you can do.
    reply
  • Mathew

    3 years ago

    I suppose you're right, Mark. And maybe it's better that way anyway. I'm sure even if someone did come up with some magic formula, I'd find something wrong with that too :-)

    I do think the conversational index idea is a good one though. Like Steve Rubel, I often find that the best stuff is in the comments.
    reply
  • Seth Finkelstein

    3 years ago

    Are you sure it's not reversing cause and effect?

    This all part of the tendency to consider a "blog" as something somehow out in a mysterious space like an asteroid, entirely distinct from the person who writes it and their social network.

    Consider:

    "If a person is well -connected and has a large social network, their blog is likely to flourish. If they aren't known and popular, their blog is likely to be ignored".

    Would that be much of surprise?

    But invert it - and it's hailed as a revelation.
    reply
  • Mathew

    3 years ago

    I think that's a fair point, Seth. But I think the interesting thing is how blogs can help to extend your social network in different or even unexpected directions. That's certainly happened for me. And I also think that some people see blogs primarily as a soapbox rather than as a way of enhancing or extending a conversation. I admit the metaphor falls down upon close inspection, and Phil Sim of Squash is probably right when he says the quality of conversation leaves a lot to be desired, but I still think it's not a bad step in a good direction.
    reply
  • Stowe Boyd

    3 years ago

    Don Dodge has suggested inverting the formula, which I am going to propose in a summary post today. That way the index gets larger as the conversation increases.
    reply
  • Mathew

    3 years ago

    Thanks, Stowe -- I saw that. I think that makes sense.

    Mathew
    reply

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