"Information is not knowledge."
So it has finally come to this. We've created so many books and so many magazines, blogs, podcasts, vlogs, etc. that we now have to choose between "What Customers Want" and "What Customers Really Want." How 'bout "What Customers Absolutely Positively Want?"
Here's what they didn't tell you about The Long Tail, that exponential increase in information brought about by recent technological advancements: it can create confusion, frustration, and analysis paralysis.
Riddle me this: how can company executives read thousands of business books, hundreds of business blogs, dozens of business magazines, ad infinitum and still have time to meet with clients, work with designers, inspire employees, answer shareholder questions, etc. They can't. So who's reading this blog post? And who's reading yours? Think about it.
Posted May 9, 2006
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Well, _I'm_ reading your blog and I'll admit it...even if none of the other millions of us will step up to the plate. : )
You raise a good point about an information-saturated world -- but I think it's about choice. What sparks the imagination and passion and unthaws the creative frozen concentrate in one person isn't the same in another. And despite similar titles and perspectives, there are actually a thousand different voices and variations.
I think the explosion of blogs, business books, magazines, etc. is a good thing. But then again, I _am_ an editor!
Posted by: Ann Handley | May 11, 2006 at 12:06 PM
Exactly Ann! Value is in the eye of the beholder. ;) So who do we look to for meaning . . . for patterns?
Posted by: Tom Asacker | May 11, 2006 at 03:52 PM
I don’t subscribe to any blogs. I choose to read yours by clicking on 1 of 5 top-of-mind blogs in my Favorites folder.
- Ghenady Meirson
Posted by: Ghena at PrivateLessons.com | May 12, 2006 at 12:07 PM
I think that there is a balancing act. If you don't read anything, you'll stagnate doing what you've always done. If you read everything, you'll have a lot of great ideas, but no means of implementing them.
So who's reading your blog? People who have decided that reading your blog is a valuable way to spend their time as opposed to all of the other ways they could be spending it.
Information overload is only a problem if a person doesn't have a way to triaging it all.
Posted by: GBGames | May 12, 2006 at 01:59 PM
I confess. I'm a data junkie, a reading addict, a public policy wonk. So, I had to discontinue all my RSS feeds - just way too addictive. I do, however, have my list of blogs, such as this one, that I read on a regular basis.
Key is picking the sources/people that you find relevant, interesting and - yes - reliable. That "triage" if you will.
As for what I write, I do my best to provide value for my client base - those folks who don't spend their days in blogville, talking, obsessing, dissecting all things blog. A blog, after all, should be a tool,and blogging, while terrific, is just one element of the evolution of human communications.
One can definitely od on information, but knowledge and wisdom - that's a whole different thing! (And, that's why I read this blog ;-)
Posted by: Mary Schmidt | May 17, 2006 at 11:49 AM
Thanks for the kind words Ghenady and Mary! And I'm with you GB!
Posted by: Tom Asacker | May 22, 2006 at 11:30 AM
It's sad really, that so many people out there chose to imitate, rather than innovate.
Posted by: Marketing Company | June 03, 2006 at 10:40 PM
I'm in Portugal and I got to your blog - it's about the "paper" trail. While it's hot you keep going, organizing what you find along the way so that you can find it later (a year from now) and then when it starts to go cold, you terminate the trail and pick up elsewhere.
I was reading 3 books per year (YEAR!) and then I starting using my iPod, Audible and the 3 hours in traffice per day - get through a book per week!
So I moved to the blogs - Im being selective and keeping focused. You have to take this one step at a time and then it will work. Sorry to write so much but I'm actually excited at the wealth of knowledge I have aquired in the last 6 months! (TV Shop advert over- going to bed!)
What do I write about? I try and answer the questions my clients ask me - do they read my blog (or others?) - hell no - They don't get it...
Posted by: Nuno Lopes | June 20, 2006 at 05:35 PM
"Riddle me this: how can company executives read thousands of business books, hundreds of business blogs, dozens of business magazines, ad infinitum and still have time to meet with clients, work with designers, inspire employees, answer shareholder questions, etc."
Perhaps you are making the point that that which is popular, widely read, or a best seller is so for a reason. The market selects that which it feels most valuable and everyone saves time by starting there. But that leads to an interesting argument for the long tail...
"So who's reading this blog post? And who's reading yours? Think about it."
Assuming your blog (like mine certainly) resides down along that long tail, it won't attract readers looking to follow the crowd. But conversely you will have a more narrowly targeted audience.
That "exponential increase in information" might just mean that the readers/customers/clients you do have are the ones most engaged in what you are saying. They might even become part of the conversation.
Posted by: Scott Magoon | June 21, 2006 at 09:38 PM