Before I launch into a rant, I want to be clear: Amy and I don’t consider Nine Lives Media Inc. a pure “blog” business. Yes, we build and launch blogs. But ultimately, we use many types of media to generate an ongoing dialog between high-tech companies and their targeted audiences.
Certainly, blogs are important to us. We’re passionate about them. But there’s a difference between Nine Lives Media Inc. and the bigger tech blog providers like TechCrunch. While TechCrunch has broad high-tech readership, our sites are designed to go narrow and deep on specific niches. Which strategy is smarter?
Perhaps both can work. We’re all growing up fast. And we need to. We’ve bet our careers on Web 2.0 media. So far, we’re performing well. But none of us knows just how big the blog-for-business wave could become, as this TechTicker video from Yahoo Finance points out.
Overall, TechTicker does a solid job explaining the shift from traditional media to Web 2.0 media. Looking back, however, is easy. Charting the course ahead is the big challenge.
Of course, there could be multiple paths to success. Sites like TechCrunch say they will attempt to build an all-star lineup of bloggers, and will continue to go broad with extensive Silicon Valley coverage. Blog contribution sites like SeekingAlpha.com will continue to offer broad coverage of Wall Street (SeekingAlpha’s regular contributors include yours truly).
Nine Lives Media Inc. will stay true to its mission. We’ll continue to focus on extreme technology niches, providing unique ways for readers to connect with one another. But part of our mission also involves constant evolution. As our name suggests, we never stand still. Never.
