Hey Ankit,

You’ve got Matt and me confused.

I’m Martin Neumann, a weekly columnist at The Blog Herald.

And Matt is Matt Craven - publisher and editor.

Even though I like the name Matt Neumann, I usually go by the name of Martin Neumann. :-)

You’re spot on: just by changing your name means nothing, if you’re basically doing the same thing.

Agree with you there: blog networks are (or will be) turning in Ad Networks - I see no other way for them to survive.

I agree with you that it’s all about a better user experience. For the blog networks that can get that right are the ones who will thrive. I’m yet to see too many b/networks go anywhere near getting it right just as yet.

Hey Sorry Martin!..
I will correct it right now.

Hey Ankit ... no sorries required.

What’s more important is the thoughts you put up in the post - which I agree with.

While I’m sure there are many benefits to a blog network. It seems to me that if you participate in blogs (yours and others) you ultimately create your own personal blog network.

You find people writing on similar or adjacent topics and you read their blogs, comment on them, and before you know it - you’re all linking to each other - because it’s natural - it makes sense. You’re not linking a blog about Football to finance or knitting.

I like Know More Media - because I’m into business blogging and new media but I don’t always understand all the B5 blogs and how they’re related.

(I’m NOT picking on B5 - I just have seen their list on a few blogs and wondered why the blog author thought I’d ever be interested in any of them).

I’m an editor for Know More Media. I know Jeremy Wright of b5media somewhat and it’s a great network in my opinion. Thanks for the kind words, Ann :).

I guess if your main point is that the term ”blog network” prompts less excitement and surprise now than at this time last year, I agree. And I also agree that the successful networks - just like the successful individuals - will be the ones that adapt to change and make sure that their whole is greater than the sum of their parts.

I need to become more familiar with Insta Media. Nice looking so far and I wish your network success!

Got to say I concur with what you are saying, but I suppose it’s more a case with an obsession with the word ”blog” more than anything. Whilst I’m don’t think denying that an entity is a blog network, at b5media we’ve moved past an obsession with the word ”blog”...indeed, you’ll see it for example in our earlier blog names and the latest ones, we don’t use the word ”blog” anymore in URL’s for example. The audience doesn’t care about whether you’ve got a blog or not, they are only interested in the content.

As for your proposition that blog networks need to evolve more into Social Networking, very very much true. Many are, we’ve always be pretty heaving from the start on being part of the conversation and embracing open commenting etc,...I know this isn’t exactly what you are saying but it is part of the social aspects of what we do. You can probably see it more on MSM blogs where they launched without open commenting and trackback support and yet today they are all going in this direction. Of course going forward there is plenty more fertile ground...

There is a difference between networks that own their sites and ones that bring in sites. The ones that own the sites were always ad networks, I agree, just like TV and Radio networks from the beginning (Im sure that’s why we got into the business)

I also agree the move to social networks, Im sure as we all evolve, we need to find ways to become more interactive. As for us, we will be launching our first non-blog ”social” site in a couple months in conjunction with our current sites published as blogs. The move is something we must do to stay in the game.

Speaking if networks, what is this one doing to evolve?

Ann Michael >>While I’m sure there are many benefits to a blog network. It seems to me that if you participate in blogs (yours and others) you ultimately create your own personal blog network.

Yes exactly, thats what I meant when I said a reader would be more interested in blog’s personal blogroll rather than its network’s blogroll. For a reader, blog networks haven`t done much so far. Blog networks have solely concentrated on Bloggers, which is to be changed in coming days.

Easton Ellsworth: >> I guess if your main point is that the term ”blog network” prompts less excitement and surprise now than at this time last year, I agree.

Blog Networks prompts less excitement today because there is no change in the blog network’s model which has not changed for years now. People have talked about that model for enough, and are now talking about new buzz words. We, the Blog Netwoks haven`t changed or contributed anythig new or substantial to the old model so far.

Duncan:: >>at b5media we’ve moved past an obsession with the word ”blog”... The audience doesn’t care about whether you’ve got a blog or not, they are only interested in the content.

B5media is one of the more successful blog networks out there. But just moving beyond the word ”blog”, is a big change or next evolution, I doubt. One thing I don`t agree with you Duncan is that readers are only interested in content. No, readers are interested in participation. Good content urges readers to think and participate. But current level of participation is limited to only comments. This has to be changed. Readers should be givem more control.


Roy T.>> Speaking if networks, what is this one doing to evolve?

We have been guilty of the same, Roy. But one of thing we are going to do very soon, is enrich our readers with more control and power.

BRW guys, Mike Rundle from 9rules left what I thought was a great comment the other week about his thoughts on how blog networks can engage more...


”I don’t think categorization of some type of media company based on blogs is necessary as long as you’re making users happy. I still don’t see the majority of blog networks aggregating and concatenating their content for easy user browsing… something I’d consider a must. A blog network could have 100 blogs but if there’s no centralized place to see all content then how do I discover new blogs? How do I stumble upon an article that sounds cool, read it, then read 10 pages of archives and get hooked? Where’s the contextual continuity? As a reader that’s what I’m looking for… a way for me to see all your content at once, decide immediately, and then open up links in tabs or subscribe. Showing the blog’s title does nothing for the stickiness factor.

Calling a blog network something else could be a first step in redefining your brand, if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but that’s only the first step. Competitive differentiation is an absolute necessity however too few blog networks do this beyond “what we pay bloggers” or “what topics we cover”. I want to see social features built into networks, network-wide tagging and custom aggregation, build-your-own RSS feeds, mashing of content with additional entertainment sources (splice Flickr photos and YouTube videos into RSS feeds), guest authors, comments integrated into articles, user-centered designs and not ad-centered designs, consolidation of blogs into larger meta-blogs, etc.

These are just a few innovative things that blog networks could do with their vast content resources but aren’t doing for various reasons, and I don’t mean “everybody besides 9rules” here because we’re not doing all of it (yet) either. This type of stuff is what breaks you away from the pack in terms of blog networks… forget the naming convention, companies can just innovate past everybody else instead of simply changing their name ;) ”

Can`t agree more on this with you Martin.

This comment by Mike Rundel inspired me to write another post on next generation of Blog Networks.

Ankit - I guess I better read your latest post - I’m heading right over now. :-)

The Blogging is just shaping up with more colorfull expressions.English ?no! French ......



Ankit! heres my latest blog!


SHAH SHER KHAN

Multan 10 Jan 2007

The time on watches is Election time. This is not going to Change affairs with GLOBALISATION.
At Washington the new Boss Nancy Pelosi as not letting Bush Family back because of external relations that fell out of the twenty years Democrats were a minority and War to Crime quite a long list of misgivings destroyed many nations and the picture of Rule ay Washington itself resembled to hiring puppets to hold White House that is now literally a Information Office . But The Speaker with House Majority is not connected with Official Crimes or going to address State Controlled Terrorism, because she’s a Democrat! But who are the dumbocrats? The answer is the same! The Black Vote that Obama who will now suit after words like puppet and The Presses singing’ we call What’s Next! Obama in sorry to say has THE CONNECTIONS to underworld ,you may call it ’ Ajay’ or you may call it ’bob but the Black Bureacracy is fact and isnt going to help Majority House debate at all. So there’s no US President .Yes!Alright just keep your papers in shape. Like everyone ive voted; me’ too and do you think Democrats dont have a Candidate ’It’s got to be Gov. Hamilton Kennedy of Maryland that’s Teddy’s sister or Democrats are non serious .This year keep your money in Green Energy. The times they are a changing because in Pakistan the 7 point government of Nawaz has made it and here are The Stakes, Chaudry Brothers co part of Bush Family have announced to bring Musharaff with his uniform on and elect him back to President . Musharaff has enough cash on hand to beat former records of 7 Million Pak Rs. expenditure on each National Assembly Seat ,however Nawaz doesn’t get beat with his backer The King of Saudi Arabia and his new tumult, Regime Partner MS Bhutto whose gotten a zero from US White House but has strong roots in Regime followers but all these are going to announce as Musharaff an Chaudry;s have already announced they will be Bellydecked [Size of Regime Policies and . The time on watches is Election time.This is not going to Change affairs with GLOBALISATION.
At Washington the new Boss Nancy Pelosi as not letting Bush Family back because of external relations that fell out of the twenty years Democrats were a minority and War to Crime quite a long list of misgivings destroyed many nations and the picture of Rule ay Washington itself resembled to hiring puppets to hold White House that is now literally a Information Office . But The Speaker with House Majority is not connected with Official Crimes or going to address State Controlled Terrorism ,because shes a Democrat! but who are the dumbocrats ?The answer is the same! The Black Vote that Obama who will now suit after words like puppet and The Presses singing’we call What’s Next! Obama in sorry to say has THE CONNECTIONS to underworld, you may call it ’ Ajay’ or you may call it ’bob but the Black Bureaucracy is fact and isnt going to help Majority House debate at all. So there’s no US President .Yes!Alright just keep your papers in shape. Like everyone ive voted ;me’ too and do you think Democrats dont have a Candidate ’It’s got to be Gov. Hamilton Kennedy of Maryland that’s Teddy’s sister or Democrats are non serious .This year keep your money in Green Energy. The times they are a changing because in Pakistan the 7 point government of Nawaz has made it and here are The Stakes ,Chaudry Brothers co part of Bush Family have announced to bring Musharaff with his uniform on and elect him back to President . Musharaff has enough cash on hand to beat former records of 7 Million Pak Rs expenditure on each National Assembly Seat ,however Nawaz doesn’t get beat withhis backer The King of Saudi Arabia and his new tumult, Regime Partner MS Bhutto whose gotten a zero from US White House but has strong roots in Regime followers but all these are going to announce as Musharaff an Chaudry;s have already announced they will be Bellydecked [Size of Regime Policies and Crime Mafias Overseas Companies and other Racial Utilitarian Population’s Creators of new poverty . The Saudi’s will be reconsidering but Nawaz has made tribal friendship with The Arabs, although both get shelter Nawaz is like Sunni Vote to Saudis. Now a short look at the Wahabism [Wabbis] they hold themselves as Kings of Hijjaz that makes them important Maliks over a big continent except Iran Afganistan and Multan ,however when Money or Arms come in a Dog doth squeal for the Man who took on The Ottoman Empire and Established himself from into a tribe as AlSaud and himself as King of Saudi Arabia.