It’s become apparent to me in the last few weeks that there is a case of tunnel vision pervading the blogosphere. It’s only through self-diagnosis that I have realized this.
A few weeks ago I interviewed Ria Sharon at MyMommyManual. I don’t read mom blogs, and I’m guessing that you don’t either. After all what the hell does a mom blog have to do with lifestyle design, life hacking, personal development, blogging, social media, Gen Y, and everything else that you might think is the dominant voice in the blogosphere.
News Flash: There’s a whole world outside this self inflicted bubble we live in. That became very apparent to me when I interviewed Ria Sharon. After listening to her interview (published tomorrow at BlogcastFM), I realized she gets about 8-10k visits per month. If there are are mom blogs that have thousands of readers and audiences that I haven’t connected with, what other blogs are out there that are not on my radar. In fact I recently posted a request on Twitter to find the most “out there” blogs with a large following so I could interview a blogger who is completely out of this self inflicted bubble we have created. Do you know how many responses I received? ZERO.
Spend a few hours on Alltop and you’ll quickly realize there are highly successful bloggers in niche markets that we’ve probably never given any thought to. Why are we not looking to them for thought leadership, guidance, and more? It’s likely their perspective is extremely valuable and something we need to take into consideration. They might be the ones that get us from blogs to real businesses. What do you think, have we become the victims of a self-inflicted bubble?
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this bubble is partially the result of choosing a specific target audience. A mom is not interested in the same kind of blog content an entrepreneur is. But we might be taking it too far. I’ll think about it
Eduard @ People Skills Decoded´s last blog ..The smart things to do for charity
Hi Srinivas,
I talk about this a lot. It’s the danger of becoming niche-bound. Your eyes are closed to opportunity which means not being open to other’s creativity.
One online venture I’m involved with is a fringe activity. I’ve been *forced* to explore a variety of niches. In the process I’ve learned more than I would have had I remained niche bound.
Ryan´s last blog ..RyanKBiddulph: Why the universe is not acting like your servant http://tinyurl.com/ygxl5w8
@Eduard: Actually you’d be surprised. Mom bloggers also read alot of the same social media/strategy blogs we do. If you listen to the interview I did with Ria, you’ll see that.
@Ryan: I completely agree. I think that if we can start to get outside of our respective “niche” communities, then we can really learn so much more and become much more powerful as bloggers.
Love this man. You raise a GREAT point. I think it’s really hard for us to comprehend how MASSIVE the internet really is. Did you know a guy sells videos on how to train your dogs and makes 6 figures a month?
There is SO MUCH POTENTIAL out there. That’s why we need to worry less about competition and instead work on relationships.
As with all things, we must continue to get out of our comfort zone. A-list doesn’t always mean better.
This is a great point Srinivas. As bloggers, I think it’s important that we keep an open mind to anything that’s out there. Although their niche might be somewhat different, we can always learn something from other people that can benefit us to achieving our goals and vice versa. Thanks for sharing this Srinivas. I’m going to check out that site to see if I can find other blogs out there that I can connect with.
Hulbert´s last blog ..Sylvester Stallone and Hits
@Bud: Yeah it is totally massive. We forget that we’re but a fraction of this massive internet universe. In the scheme of things the A-list is only really relevant because we’ve all given agreed on the meaning of A-list and given them that status. But there have to be people out there making 500 grand a year that you’ve never heard of and don’t have any interest in being discovered.
@Hulbert: That’s a great idea to reach out to bloggers outside of the “niche” that many of us focus on. I think you’ll enjoy our chat with Ria Sharon tomorrow on BlogcastFM.
Hi Srinivas – I’m a first timer here, popped over from WSL. Love what you’re saying. I relish finding new, fresh voices that are not in the bubble. The bubble, in fact, seems at times so repetitive and turned in on itself that I get drained from it. Well, actually, I’m not even in the bubble, expect for the personal development part. Anyway, my point is that being in the bubble is kind of like being a big fish in a small pond. And as someone who was a business owner long before I became a blogger, I can affirm that staying in a bubble is not usually a good way to create a business.
Patty – Why Not Start Now?´s last blog ..Meaning Mondays: A Gathering of Men Edition
@Patty: Glad to see you over here. I know what you mean about the bubble. I Think it can be applied to life in general. Not just business and blogging.
Tunnel vision–something that gets my ass handed to me every time! I’m trying to break out of that bubble too. It’s funny how your perspective changes once you look outside of your zone.
Moon Hussain´s last blog ..Clash Of The Titans: Pros & Cons of Various Types Of Passive Income Streams
Hey Srini,
I can give you another massive audience: Forex markets.
Do you know how many thousands of people trade forex and how many bloggers there are with thousands of followers in the forex niche?
Diggy´s last blog ..There Is No Such Thing As Failure (Video)
Just like in real life you need to be a well-rounded person and not one-dimenional. Getting your head out of the sand is worth it to see what else is going on in the blogosphere. It’s amazing what you learn when you go searching for new ways of thinking and new ideas. This is a valuable reminder that it’s a huge world out there and that you can learn something new that you can bring back to your readers. Or, potentially, introduce yourself to new readers in other niches.
Karen
Karen´s last blog ..10 Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Your Life