Re: MODERATOR NOTE: The Future of this List

From: David Yancey <dyancey_at_proactics.com>
Date: Mon 30 Aug 2004 09:46:20 -0500

Cliff, the future of *all* online business discussion lists is at issue. The
cessation of Adam Boettiger_s I-Advertising list, and the end of the I-Sales
list (after numerous attempts to find a way to monetize it) are handwriting
on the wall.

It is instructive that the three oldest and most respected ebusiness discussion
lists which dealt specifically and primarily with advertising have more or less
dried up insofar as poster interest is concerned.

We can debate ways in which this kind of knowledge exchange channel can be
economically viable, but your specific question is more about the audience, I
suggest.

Why don_t more people post? Well, it_s surely (mainly) due to the *perceived*
trade-off of time versus payback. If I write one of my always long but still
hopefully useful posts, what do I expect back? Some feedback, of course.
Not just in the form of counter-posts by knowledgeable people, but from
readers directly. A few orders for our services would be nice, too, of course.

When the list is (apparently) populated mostly by those who already know
roughly what I and the rest of the more active posters know, then little payback
is to be gained for the non-trivial work of trying to say something fresh about
all this stuff.

On the other hand, posting for the benefit of newbies seems less and less
productive, these days. The basics are, after all, really basic, now. And few of
us old-timers want to read a discussion list mainly focused on questions of
Front Page versus Dreamweaver, or how to price banner ad space.

And even if one wanted the learner-level audience, I don_t know about other
OA readers, but I get the impression that the folks truly new to the business
side of the web each year do not have a clue where all the good insider stuff
is. It seems ironic that the three best lists about promotion do/did not
promote themselves more aggressively...

So, IMO, the question you ask is not so much about the future of the OA list,
as it is about *whom* the list is for, and what its topical scope should be.

As its name says, OA is ostensibly about online advertising. I respectfully
submit that the more experienced constituency - - the members who can
contribute useful posts - - for the list:

- Are busy
- Perceive (rightly or wrongly) that their peers are not reading the list these days
- Are not interested in providing posts about online ad basics; and even less
   interested in reading them
- Are (understandably) not willing to provide true _insider_ knowledge to
   competitors.

Meanwhile, site owners now can turn to AdSense to "sell" their space, so may not
feel the need to delve more deeply into online advertising.

And yet, the discussion list format is not necessarily dead. As any regular
discussion list follower knows, I am a steady supporter and active poster in the
LED list, as are dozens of other old-timers. I post there because it has a clear
educational mission for smaller biz and relatively inexperienced webmasters. It
happens that our services are aimed at this segment, so LED makes sense for me
as a messaging vehicle.

Similarly, the more technical _how-to_ forum sites like WebmasterWorld and
the many search tech forums are booming, at least in terms of activity. Ditto
the web security forums, where thousands are trying to keep up with viruses,
trojans, adware and spyware, and the utter incompetence of Microsoft when it
comes to basic PC and network safety.

What it says to me is that lists and forums that focus on education and hand-
holding have a role to play that will always be active and needed, because the
web and its technologies are constantly in turmoil, and millions of folks are
constantly upgrading or expanding their requirements. Smallbiz-focused help
sites will also be viable, for essentially the same reasons.

But up here in the _advanced_ group of professional ebusiness and interactive
marketing specialists, the discussion format seems to have run its course.

Just my $.02 (plus about 7 years worth of interest).

David Yancey
http://www.vivante.com






Received on Mon Aug 30 2004 - 09:46:20 CDT