Krishwords

Here is Robert Scoble’s recent post

Out of 1,048 items on my link blog in the past 30 days only 490 came from the top 35 blogs.So, more than half of the value of that link blog came from the B, C, D … Z list of my 772 feeds.Shows that being on the A list isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you’re only reading the “A list” you’re missing 558 posts

This small piece of data clearly highlights the importance of longtail in the blogosphere. This brings into focus why blogs really took off in the first place. One of the reasons for the success of blogs is the frustration of readers with the “hit based approach” present in the traditional media. This “hit based approach” slowly caught up with the A-List bloggers. Once Ryan Stewart twittered saying “High tech culture is like a combination of a hamster wheel and an echo chamber”. This is the feeling I get when I listen to many A-List bloggers. If it is all about ignoring the long tail of b-, c-, z- lists, there is absolutely no difference between traditional media and blogosphere. This is where people like Robert Scoble come into picture. He is different from others like Mike Arrington, Om Malik, Pete Cashmore, etc. He is more committed to the philosophy of blogosphere than the other A-Listers. I am not undermining the role of other A-List bloggers. In fact, I have great opinion and respect for people like Mike Arrington and Om Malik. On any topic related to tech, I would always want to know what Mike and Om think about the issue. But I am differentiating here in terms of sticking to the core values of blogosphere than anything else. For all practical purposes, Mike Arrington and Om Malik are no different from the journalists at the New York Times or Wall Street Journal. But Robert Scoble takes a different approach to blogging and thatz what I want to highlight in this post. Once, when talking about the elitism of A-List bloggers, Robert told

Are you worried about the elitism of A list jerks like me?

Then FREAKING LINK TO NEW BLOGGERS THAT WE HAVEN’T HEARD ABOUT YET!!!

That’s how you take down the A list. Link, baby, link!

He got it absolutely right. It is the long tail that matters in blogosphere. By taking time to share the good posts from all sorts of people in the blogosphere, Robert is actually doing justice to the concept of blogs. He is a different kinda A-Lister. He is among a small breed of A-Listers who are committed to keeping blogosphere from taking the path of traditional media. Probably, thatz why I like him even though some times he exposes his lack of knowledge on certain topics. He is a dude who is ensuring that conversations are not just the privilege of an elite group but part of the democracy in the blogosphere. Keep going Robert. Blogosphere needs people like you.

Tags: Blogs, Blogosphere, Robert Scoble, A Listers, Long Tail, Longtail