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Are Blogs Worth Anything Without the Bloggers? Maybe

Peter Brady at Performancing envisions bloggers going public and Stephen Baker at Business Week thinks that's not bloody likely. The truth is somewhere in between.

With stunning optimism, Brady suggests that bloggers should have an exit strategy for their blog, and "consider the potential for stock market flotation at some point."

"Think big and set your targets high, but realistically." he writes. revealing that he recently requested Venture Capital funding.

Baker says "Maybe I'm blind to opportunity, but I think the overwhelming majority of our blogs have little or no market value unless the blogger is included. And that's less a sale of a blog than a blogger getting a job."

Hugh Macleod calls bloggers like me and him global microbrands: "A small, tiny brand, that "sells" all over the world."

As Hugh notes, "any service professional with a bit of talent and something to say could spread their message far and wide beyond their immediate client base and local market, without needing a high-profile name or the goodwill of the mainstream media."

And eventually, these bloggers could decide they want to move on to something else, and sell the company they create.

The global microbrand, Macleod says, is "the prize... the ticket off the treadmill."

A successful blog can be the conduit. This one is sure helping my business grow. It's fun too. How many people with jobs can say that?

Categories: Blogging and Moblogging, Commentary, Don't Believe the Hype, Internet strategy

BL Ochman | Nov 30 05 1:26 | TrackBack (0)

Comments

BL, I agree with you and Hugh about the microbrands. But the brand is much more you than your blog. You could dump this url and re-emerge elsewhere and people would find you and link to you in a jiffy. But unless a good blogger took over your old url, it would fade in a hurry.

I think Peter's ideas are appropriate for people who are hiring bloggers and building franchises. But I'm not so sure it means much for solo acts.

Posted by: steve baker at November 30, 2005 3:32 PM

You make some great points. Although, I think there is more of a cautious optimism rather than a "stunning optimism" emanating from my corner. The thrust of my post was to suggest that it might be sensible for commercial bloggers to cast a cursory eye towards the future and what that may hold for them and their businesses.

Is it really beyond the realms of possibility that we might see a number of blog networks floating or going through acquisitive consolidation, say 3,4 and 5 years down the track?

Posted by: Peter Brady at November 30, 2005 5:07 PM

While the idea of taking a blog public is new and exciting, I can't imagine a blog that would carry that value, yet

I could see consolidating a whole bunch of high traffic blogs together. That would seem like herding cats, as the writers would all have to agree to be a part of the same aggregate. I can't see this because the essence of blogging is about personal opinion and creativity.

Posted by: Monty Loree at December 1, 2005 11:23 AM

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About BL Ochman

Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations

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