This week, I visited BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2011 at the
Los Angeles Convention Center, which was promoted as "The first and only
industry-wide conference, tradeshow & media event for all new media." It was jam-packed with seminars,
a busy exhibition hall, numerous networking opportunities, book signings,
parties and plenty of one-on-one time with noted bloggers from around the
world. In the one day I spent
there, I gained a great deal of perspective and information - but I was with
one nagging question: Where's
the vision?
Blogworld is, first and foremost, about the business of blogging
(and, despite the title, only touching a bit on new media). Like many trade shows, It's an
expensive proposition - full price for the entire convention could set you back
nearly thirteen hundred dollars (hence my one-day visit). For professionals in any field, there's
a true value in attending events like these, and improving both your knowledge
and legitimacy in your chosen profession. In the blogging world, however, I soon
felt the pricing might be a bit steep for the blogging world at large.
The highlight of the day was Shani Higgin's presentation of
Technorati's State of the Blogosphere report - a thorough, though sobering -
in-depth look at the world of blogging. You can find it on Technorati's website. For me the most important message was
that blogging just isn't a lucrative profession
- at least directly. Even among
those who described themselves as professional full-time bloggers, only 37%
report that they derive their primary income from blogging (in other words,
blogging only supplements their income).
A good portion of the exhibition floor at Blogworld was
dedicated to firms that paired bloggers with advertisers, matched bloggers with
commercial firms to provide writing services on their own blogs or on company
sites, or provided analyzation tools to allow bloggers to better understand and
serve their readers. There were
also plenty of books (and book signings) on how to increase readership and/or make money with one's blog.
After Technorati's report, however, which I felt showed blogging
as a stagnant industry, I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that there was
too much emphasis on the industry as it is, and too little on transforming and
bringing it to a wider audience.
I'm certainly not an expert on the blogging world, and this was my first blogging-centric conference, but it seems
to me that there should be be more emphasis on growing the universe of readers and/or viewers - and making it possible for more bloggers
to benefit and - yes - make a living in this field, if that's what they choose
to do.
I look forward to your thoughts.
Interesting post Rich.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that thw world of Blogging could learn something from the world of Vlogging, especially on YouTube. As your interviews have shown, many vloggers are looking for new ways of increasing their viewership & money making potential.
At least YT gives them the choice and opportunity should they want it. They seem to be forward looking.
Just out of interest, how did the cost compare to VidCon?
Vidcon was actually more than a thousand dollars less for the entire event. Vidcon only dedicated one day to the "business" of vlogging, though, and was probably more a celebration than a trade show. It also skewed MUCH younger than BlogWorld. Partly because of that, and the fact that the Vlogging community is much newer, it was a more forward looking crowd.
ReplyDeleteI think the blogging community could learn from the vlogging community. Interestingly enough, even though Blogworld called itself a new media conference, many young vloggers would have been turned away at the door.
Very interesting. At least from your review, there doesn't seem to have been any talk about providing *good* content (only a pass at analysis for profitable content). And for an "industry" where only 63% of full-time practitioners actually earn their living from it, perhaps a few too many people hawking "how to make money blogging" schemes. Thanks for the report - I do not regret not attending.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't that people didn't talk about good content - but it certainly wasn't the primary emphasis. To be fair, though, I would suppose that a bookseller's conference is more about selling books than the quality of the books themselves. And yes, too many hawkers...
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