One trend that bloggers don’t want to talk about? A number of my blogging friends have seen their traffic go down lately. They assume that their readers are off in social networks. I think they are absolutely right.
Hugh McLeod responds:
The time of the A-List is dead. Thank Christ. Not a moment too soon.
Value will always be key. And I think you’ll find that the migration of pure social chatter off of blogs and onto social networking applications is a good thing for the rest of us who are looking to build businesses powered in whole or in part by blogs.
I think this is a joke – no, not the funny kind, but the ridiculous kind.
For as long as I’ve been reading ‘about blogging’, we’ve had this A-list debate. It’s similar to high-school social hierarchy, where the popular boys and girls get all the attention and there are always a few rebels ready to call their time up.
Let’s face it, there will ALWAYS be an A-list. The names will change, some old ones will fade and new ones will take their place, but in essence, the psychology of the A-list will always be there.
The people who denounce the A-list and push value blogging are right by their accounts, but in the process they too are turning into the A-list by virtue of their increasing audience.
People like Michael Arrington, Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, Hugh McLeod, Aaron Wall and Rand Fishkin ARE part of the A-list – they are, whether they like it or admit it or not, celebrities whose popularity extends beyond their own niche.
I’ve seen Rand Fishkin go from a relatively unknown SEO geek to one of the leading SEO bloggers online, in the space of the last 2-3 years. He made it to the A-list by providing value, and full props to him.
Don’t tell me that the A-list is dead simply because the rules of the game have changed. By nature the A-list will adapt and thrive in the new conditions. There will always be rock stars and celebrities, whether it’s social media, mainstream media or ‘value blogging’.
So please, the A-list is NOT dead. Blogging – well that’s a different story.
This article was originally written on 7 Jun 2007 for Performancing.com.
