Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

Tech Blogging – Too Crowded? Too Hateful? No, Just Changing.

View Comments | Posted In Opinion by David

Those of us who are into tech blogging probably realize by now that this is a VERY saturated field. There are a LOT of tech bloggers out there and it is hard, if not impossible, to find a unique angle to a story.

Recently, Jason Calacanis made a very public departure from blogging. Instead of posting to a blog, he is moving his "blogging" to a private email list. His reasons? Too much pressure and constant in-fighting. He goes on…

Today the blogosphere is so charged, so polarized, and so filled with haters hating that it’s simply not worth it. I’d rather watch from the sidelines and be involved in a smaller, more personal, conversation.

Loren Feldman of 1938 Media also posted a video saying he thought tech was boring and that he is going to be moving onto other areas. Feldman has long been making humorous videos primarily for the tech audience. Feldman makes waves with his pull-no-punches style of humor. I actually find the guy pretty funny, although I think he goes overboard in how he deals with people.

Too Crowded?

Probably, although I would never tell anybody not to blog about technology. But, this is a very crowded niche for blogging and there really are only so many things to be said about anything.

Too Hateful?

Is it too charged? Too full of haters?

I think not. If Jason Calcanis attracted haters, then he needs to look at what he is doing to attract them. Is it as simple as people going after him because he is more successful? Perhaps. I don’t know what it is, but Calacanis seems to have a knack for attracting controversy and it gets to the point where you have to wonder if its all him.

From my perspective, albeit perhaps from a relative outsider, tech bloggers seem to be a pretty welcoming crowd. We’re all geeks and we all get excited about technology. A new microblogging site? We’re all flocking to it. A new device from Apple? We all want it. And, yes, we all willingly share our opinions about it, too.

Too Competitive?

It is very competitive, IF you choose to view it as a competition. There are, no doubt, many bloggers (especially in tech) who blog with the sole mission of becoming a so-called "a-lister". They want to be in the Techmeme leaderboard. They want to be in the cool kid’s club. I couldn’t sit here and tell you that I wouldn’t get a big grin if I was in that position.

But, is that what it is all about? Is it meaningless if you’re not the next Robert Scoble, Louis Gray, or Jason Calacanis? Absolutely not!

Scoble, Gray and the other notable names in this game got to where they are because they were welcoming and because they are true, through and through geeks. Louis Gray, particularly, wasn’t exactly a newcomer to the world of tech blogging. He came into this field and just started geeking out and putting out some good, quality stuff.

The rules of blogging have not changed. You put out quality, you’ll get noticed. You participate in the conversation, people will come to know you.

So, Dying or Changing?

It certainly isn’t dying. The world of tech blogging changes little with the exit of Calacanis. Nor will it change much if Feldman stops making fun of it. Both figures attract controversy and then call foul when the most vocal group in the world – tech bloggers – reacts to it.

Yes, it is changing. A super saturated niche like tech blogging is evolving into a conversation that takes place as much on social media like FriendFeed and Twitter as it does on the blog. Not all blogging niches are like that, but tech is particularly saturated as a niche. The guys who end up being leaders in today’s tech blogging are the people who offer real value on all of their communication lines (blog + social media outlets) and who are personable and actively interact with others. Any tech blogger who is looking at it as a competition or who worry incessantly about the so-called "a-list" is just not going to do really well.

If you can’t change with the community, then I guess it might be easier to bow out and start blogging about something else.

Its about being a real person who loves tech just because.

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  • Crowded is good. That means there are people interested. It's the angle taken in a crowded blogging community where the sweet spot is.
  • I don't think that this field is getting crowded at all. Yes, there are more tech bloggers, but there are also more tech topics.

    If someone feels like it is crowded, then maybe they aren't keeping up with the news. Sure, if you are going to blog about the same topics all the time, then yes, it is a competitive world.
  • Gifin
    To each his own, I can't stand fishing; which I view as one jerk waiting for another jerk on a pole. Don't get me started on golf; a bunch of losers chasing a little white ball around.

    I do find tech tedious often, because most writers can't handle the subject and hide behind techno babble. However, if you get a good writer that is actually excited about tech doing a book or article there is nothing like it, particulary if he has a real in depth knowledge of the material.

    I think tech appeals more to the people who used to be in the last generations "fix-it" crowd. People who are patient and want to know how things work; which is not for everyone.

    Most people don't want to fix cars; they want to drive them and could care less about what happens when you push the gas pedal. So, each to his own and when I run into these people bitching and moaning about the cost of fixing things I tell them to get off their ass and figure out how to fix things themselves or quit bitching.
  • Interesting observations. The part about Techmeme's leaderboard caught my eye; I've just finished a two-part analysis of Techmeme (http://tinyurl.com/6syp3b) and have a few observations about it that you may find interesting:

    1) Tech blogging/media *is* saturated -- the Techmeme Leaderboard has referenced the headlines from nearly 700 sources in the past 30 days, compared to just 265 for the celebrity-focused WeSmirch Leaderboard, which is built from the same engine.

    2) The top 100 sources in the Leaderboard dominate many of the discussions taking place; even though they only represent 15% of sources referenced by Techmeme in a 30-day period, they account for 72% of featured headlines on Techmeme in that period.

    One thing I've documented in my Techmeme analyses is many of the sources in the leaderboard are less and less likely to be individual bloggers. This isn't Techmeme's fault, but I think it does have an impact on the quality of the discussions, as I described in my conclusion:

    "Individual bloggers often bring a level of expertise that is sorely missing from the mainstream media and blog networks. Unfortunately, these bloggers are less likely to be noticed, or start the featured discussions on Techmeme or anywhere else. Many of these indie bloggers are experts in their respective fields, and can't easily be hired by media companies or blog on a regular basis. This is not Techmeme's fault, but Techmeme certainly reflects these trends, and may be contributing to the dominance of MSM publishers and blog networks."

    Ian Lamont
    Managing Editor
    The Industry Standard
  • Jason Calacanis exhibited some of the same sentiments in his latest post over at http://calacanis.com . He's made the move to leave blogging behind (at least for a while, I know we'll still be seeing articles from him on occasion) because of the extremely biased environment. In a move that surprised everyone, he's now sending out periodic e-mails to a list of almost 750 subscribers, and trying to do exactly what you're doing: have a more intimate conversation with his readers.

    I admit to blogging in non-personal mode. Most of what I post is to either educate or inform - from a business perspective. I agree, what used to be the biggest draw to new bloggers - the ability to post unique, honest content and have it digested by the masses - is gone. Here's to the ones who work tirelessly to bring it back.
  • It's hard to get used to being named in lists like this, but I appreciate it.

    I think you can have too many people talking about a single topic, or "announcing" news, especially if they don't have new sources, or data. But one person's exit is simply one person's choice. A single data point does not indicate a trend, after all.
  • David, thank you for your post regarding the growth and change of tech blogging. Due to recent developments in readers like http://feedly.com I find myself reading around 36-40 tech/social media blogs on a regular basis, and the list continues to grow every week as more discoveries are made. I truly enjoy the diversified voices, the posts that bring something different to the noise and re-posts. In film we call it "voice" while there are a plethora of new directors everyday, those who succeed find their unique voice. You are exactly right- you put out quality and you'll get noticed. As the field becomes more crowded, the tendency might be to post what is "popular" but those that stick to their passions will still be around when the others jump to the next hot format. Todd Rundgren once said- "Don't adjust your music to the audience, adjust your audience to the music." I enjoy your voice and I'll stay tuned for the next composition.
  • But it is segmenting like there's no tomorrow... but maybe that's not a bad thing, either.
  • How so? Do you mean the tech blogging community is dividing into different camps?
  • For one thing, there appears to be a growing number of individuals who are breaking away from the Techmeme echo chamber, as I've heard it referred to before, and trying to look elsewhere for new and interesting things. For a second thing, I think that a niche is forming for people who are thinking of ideas to use the newer Web 2.0 generation of tools in new and different ways. You have bloggers who focus on coding and apps vs. gadgets and hardware. You have people who look at the science, business, sociology, and psychology of technology - separately or together. These might not all be new segments, but I think they may be a bit more distinctly defined over time. The biggest thing that I think I see is bloggers who are moving away from industry standard things like the Technorati top 100 and Techmeme and moving in slightly different directions.
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