the long tail...
back after an unintended hiatus over the summer...
a very intriguing book i read over the summer is The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More...
the book is interesting in at least a few ones - first of all, the way it was created. it stemmed from an article in wired magazine. the author then maintained a blog before finally writing the book.
from the original article:
and
in short, realizing much of what nicholas negroponte wrote about in being digital
anderson finds long tails everywhere: open source software, wikis, blogs, ebay, legos, google ads...which either means he's onto something or really stretcing - i think perhaps at least some of both...certainly, his long tail theory applies best to purely digital products, such as iTunes. however, he argues it is relevant to some degree in the world of atoms.
another issue discussed is the role of user created content - such as blogs, netflix recommendations, etc... largely as a way to guide individuals thru the myriad of choices... this is omewhat related to the phenomenom described as crowdsourcing
. amateurs around the world have access to relatively affordable digital tools of very high quality - which previously only professionals had access to... creating a whole new class of creative folks that some call professional amateurs or prosumer. on many levels, this is a very exciting and enpowering time...-
of course, such sweeping assertations is bound to invite criticism. it is clear to me, that at least in some areas - digital entertainment especially - that anderson's theory rings true. whether it holds up in a larger context remains to be seen
a very intriguing book i read over the summer is The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More...
the book is interesting in at least a few ones - first of all, the way it was created. it stemmed from an article in wired magazine. the author then maintained a blog before finally writing the book.
from the original article:
...the emerging digital entertainment economy is going to be radically different from today's mass market. If the 20th- century entertainment industry was about hits, the 21st will be equally about misses.
and
Hit-driven economics is a creation of an age without enough room to carry everything for everybody. Not enough shelf space for all the CDs, DVDs, and games produced. Not enough screens to show all the available movies. Not enough channels to broadcast all the TV programs, not enough radio waves to play all the music created, and not enough hours in the day to squeeze everything out through either of those sets of slots.
This is the world of scarcity. Now, with online distribution and retail, we are entering a world of abundance. And the differences are profound.
in short, realizing much of what nicholas negroponte wrote about in being digital
anderson finds long tails everywhere: open source software, wikis, blogs, ebay, legos, google ads...which either means he's onto something or really stretcing - i think perhaps at least some of both...certainly, his long tail theory applies best to purely digital products, such as iTunes. however, he argues it is relevant to some degree in the world of atoms.
another issue discussed is the role of user created content - such as blogs, netflix recommendations, etc... largely as a way to guide individuals thru the myriad of choices... this is omewhat related to the phenomenom described as crowdsourcing
. amateurs around the world have access to relatively affordable digital tools of very high quality - which previously only professionals had access to... creating a whole new class of creative folks that some call professional amateurs or prosumer. on many levels, this is a very exciting and enpowering time...-
of course, such sweeping assertations is bound to invite criticism. it is clear to me, that at least in some areas - digital entertainment especially - that anderson's theory rings true. whether it holds up in a larger context remains to be seen
posted by Mike at 9:10 AM
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