We have previously discussed the MSM’s tentative probes into blogging. We first looked at the WSJ’s blogging moves, and then the NYT’s foray.
Since then, we see a full array of additional bloggers have rolled forth. Barron’s tech columnist Eric Savitz has a daily blog, TECH TRADER DAILY. Barron’s has (so far) kept that out from behind the firewall. Most of the other WSJ blogs are behind firewalls (a mistake IMO)
Also blogging is a threesome from another Dow Jones property, Marketwatch:
Bambi’s Blog by
Bambi Francisco
Greenberg’s Market Blog
Media Blog
Lots of other mainstream journos have been blogging for quite some time. The San Jose Mercury News has had a tech blog for about 10 years (Good Morning Silicon Valley).
I used to think the NYT had the most blogs of any MSM outlet, but it looks like Businessweek has edged them out (although they do a good job hiding them):
• Auto Beat
• Blogspotting
• Brand
New Day
• Byte
of the Apple
• Deal
Flow
• Economics
Unbound
• Fine On
Media
• Hot
Property
• Investing
Insights
• New Tech
in Asia
• Nussbaum
On Design
• Tech
Beat
• Working
Parents
Finally, TheStreet.com’s Real Money has about a half dozen blogs, although I would hardly call TSCM mainstream media. Like the WSJ, theirs are also behind a subscription firewall.
So far, I think the NYT is doing the best job of all the major media with their blogging efforts — but the WSJ is the dark horse. If they ever figure out what they want to do with their blog collection (I gave them lots of good advice for free here), and execute well, they could leapfrog the competition from the Times.
One of the few things besides p0rn that people are willinhg to pay for on the internet is financial info. This will be intereresting to see how it developes.
I don’t watch these people on TV nor do I read their columns since they are usually behind the curve. Also because they are paid by the financial world for their opinion and they would probably lose their jobs if they expressed an honest one. They have been doing this (just like AJC) for most of their adult lives and probably have forgotten what the real world looks like.
I read places such as this, Trader X, Dr. Brett, Adams Options, Ron Sen’s place, Tim Knights place and get a world of real time, actual tradable ideas both from them and their commenters.
In my honest opinion I think the MSM has missed the boat on blogs and there is absolutely no way I would waste a minute of my time on “the street” or Barrons or the especially detestable WSJ whose politics and financial interests are both wildly suspect. I followed those guys for years and went broke – when I stopped drinking the kool-aide I started making money.
MSM definitely missed the boat on blogs. And they still don’t seem to realize that the blog explosion has opened the market on punditry/commentary to anyone with a computer and phone line. And they are lagging in both understanding the blog audience as well as in their commentary/analysis itself.
The WaPost also has a few blogs, and of the MSM, they seem to be the most sucessful. Joel Achenbach’s (sp?) in particular has a rather large regular commentariat.
MSM doesn’t yet understand that they cannot use the subscritption wall as a revenue generator. A blog behind a sub wall? Stupid if you’re trying to generate buzz and pageviews. Look at TimesSelect…a huge flop, as predicted by the blogosphere (a prediction derided by the Times). Until they realize that they must operate almost exclusively on an advertising revenue model (as opposed to subscription walls), people will read the many, many available free sources.
For example: Why would I pay money to read commentary by hacks like David Brooks, Tom Friedman, or Nick Kristoff when I can read detailed, insightful commentary from hundreds of others who’s only problem is they weren’t connected enough (i.e. no Andover->Yale heritage) to land that sweet gig at the Times.
“One of the few things besides p0rn that people are willinhg to pay for on the internet is financial info. This will be intereresting to see how it developes. ”
Which dovetails nicely with the project being developed by Alaskan Pete and I– The Financial Porn Network! This interactive website let’s you see your favorite anchors and hosts in “all their glory” while they pass on all those meaningful financial insights! Presently in beta and we are looking for a few testers.
Please, Mark. No live bulls and bears.
We already have financial porn – check out CNBC. And if they delivered the news in the buff, that’d be even LESS of a reason for me to watch (and yes, that does include Maria. Ugghh).
BTW, Pete, like you, I didn’t know it took a Harvard MBA to be a permabull and closet index your fund till I got into this business.
Blogs can be monetized.
If MSM were smart (I know! I know!) effort would be directed toward creating income streams, not building walls.
I’m not near as negative on walls. When, not if, the next advertising crash occurs, you will see even more sites move to pay for play if you want to get anything of value. It is the difference between advertising price per user for shopping rags and the advertising price per user for newspapers. Similarly, trade journals get an exhorbant amount of advertising money per subscriber and general interest magazines get significantly less. Free loaders aren’t generally a target demographic for most companies.
Girls will be boys
And boys will be girls
It’s a mixed up
Muddled up
Shook up world…
Man, The Kinks made some great records. Too bad their concerts sucked. Anyway, Mark, I was wondering if the US could have an FPN network, much the same way Russia has Naked News. The start-up costs are low, so if we can get some VC/Angel financing…?
Mark
One last thing (been on vacation for two weeks, hence the lack of posting. Fam just got back from shopping so I gotta go). Does that mean you’ve abandoned your post as President of The Sweater Group.
I think Mike Mandel’s BusinessWeek blog is very good, but he needs to update it more regularly. Which is probably a general problem with print-media blogs, in that the “print” takes priority over the “blog”.
Bynocerus-
(Sigh.) A graph of sales of The Sweater looks a little like The Russia Fund chart these days. Frankly, Mr. Ritholtz has not lived up to his product placement obligations apparently preferring such frivolous activities as new website design and premium service roll-out. Hence, the Dewey Cheatum law firm is exploring remedies for this unfortunate situation.
Ahh, I see Mark also retains Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe as legal counsel.
Sub walls in this medium are destined to fail miserably except in very few specialized cases targeting small audiences. Anything targeting the general populace has failed miserably, and will continue to do so.
Don’t buy my premise? Ask Salon.com, who initiated an alternative to sub-wall, where you watch an ad for a “day pass”. Then there is the model that Marketwatch and Bloomberg use where they hit you with an ad on the opening page. But that ploy was destroying traffic so they switched to either a cookie based once/day ad or a randomizer.
For other sites, they just unneccessarily layer the content. For example, on Yahoo and Hotmail to access your mail requires viewing about 3-4 screens before you can actually get to your inbox.
The Weather Channel has screwed with their linking such that you can’t boomark the 10-day for your zipcode anymore and have to navigate through several screens…obviously to boost ad views since different ads load on each page.
It’s horseshit, and I let them know that I would be using Accuweather or a direct link to the NWS from now on. Especially given that these clowns are getting large quantities of their raw data from the NWS and NOAA anyway.
Time to run, my Russian chauffer – Piekupv Andrapoff – just arrived. I’ve got an appointment with my image consultant, Mr. Bud Tuggly.
Yeah, I’d sure wish they’d hurry up and monetize this. I’d love to pay you guys everytime I download a blog entry.
Well, some of you guys. Some others ,not.
But I’d bet it would increase the quality of the blog posts.
Well, then, while you’re at it… why not monetize the comments? Shouldn’t that increase the quality of comment posts? Should definitely cut down on the disrespectful ones!
“Free” speech? What?
I always appear smarter when I dress up in my giant nipple costume. I know this because I’ll overhear people say things like, “At least he’s not a complete boob.”