Re: Gardening Blogs In Newspapers

**"DGreen" d*@kingston.net**

Kathy Purdy wrote, "As one of the "digital hordes," let me first apologize
for ruining the livelihood of so many writers."

Why would you need to do this?  I'm assuming your tongue is in your cheek on
this one - mine would be. :-)  Writing and publishing has been a marvelous
industry, changed the world with moveable type - and has been moving along
at a sedate pace ever since.  You used your blog to open doors to paying
jobs. Imho - that's a perfect use for blogs.  You succeeded. Congrats!  You
found a good use for electronic media and you made it pay for you.

Writers are - like it or not - in competition with each other. We're small
business people in the entertainment/information business. We can cooperate
in some ways but in others we go head to head. 

I don't expect my blog to make me much money directly although I do track
it. (made $1.23 last week) :-) and I don't think I can even get into
Starbucks for that.  But like the beginning podcast work I'm doing, it is a
learning experience.

The digital horde is out there for sure and it will only continue to
increase in numbers.  But like all things - cream rises to the top. And
those of us with some experience need to keep rising with it or be swamped -
that's the way of business.

>> Most people still didn't know what a blog was, for crying out loud, and
that especially includes most gardeners.

I've got news for you - they still don't.  The adoption rates on rss feeds
are low among the general public. Some segments are adopting them (young
females, advertising industry etc) but for the most part they do not have a
high adoption rate (but this is increasing)  Podcasts are even lower than
blogs - the last numbers I saw were something like 5% of net users used
blogs and only 3% of that 5% used podcasts.  Still nice numbers in the
aggregate but not what you'd call total adoption.

>>Just as television did not completely eliminate radio, I don't think blogs
and other Web2 developments will eliminate print media.

I couldn't agree more.  What we're seeing is increasing segmentation of the
market. That's why the big dawgs are fighting to preserve their share of the
pie in legislation.

But good for you making your blog work for you.  Early adopters of
technology rarely make any money - it's the second wave that "gets it" after
the crinkles have all been worked out and the public is waking up to the
technology.

Doug

Doug Green SGF Communications: e-publishing content
Home: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com
Blog: http://doug-greens-gardening.blogspot.com/

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