10 comments

• 

  Svetlana Gladkova

  8 months ago

  Duncan, excellent suggestion and good arguments here. And knowing your experience, I tend to agree that the days of blog networks are really gone and even if giants like Gawker Media survive, it will definitely be nearly impossible to launch new networks based on this model and hope it will be a success only because of the huge number of cross links they can exchange.
  reply
• 

  Young

  8 months ago

  "The big blogs of tomorrow will likely be mega-sites that often focus on content outside a key vertical, under the one brand", I agree with this point, to which the similar point was said by DoshDosh a few days ago.
  reply
• 

  igorthetroll

  8 months ago

  Agree! Consolidation and synergy is the operative word!
  reply
• 

  Michael J. Pratt

  8 months ago

  Interesting take and I would agree with some of your points. Lost in the article, though, is the fact that few of the mentioned networks (Glam is the prime example) actually do much FOR their blogs and none require much OF their blog members. This comes form being a member and questioning many members. I think this is because those running the networks are consumed with what they can get out of the network and sell to advertisers as opposed to how to elevate the quality of the network itself. You're right, the EXISTING network model is dead. Rest assured, a new one will emerge.
  reply
• 

  Gonzalo Arzuaga

  8 months ago

  Advertising-supported blog networks are being really challenged these days. When it comes to "one brand vs several brands" I'd go for several brands. It has some clear benefits in terms of traffic, and in verticals and niches. Easier for your audience to know what your blog is all about, easier for your advertisers to know if they're in or out. My 2 centz.
  reply
• 

  Mark Matson

  8 months ago

  If you want to build your business, it is not either or - it is both. A single brand portal gives you fast community driven content. A blog network is more of a shotgun approach. If you are building your brand, you need both - Be Everywhere!
  
  Mark Matson
  reply
• 

  Keller Williams Baltimore

  7 months ago

  I get the feeling that while the blog network model will die, it won't be a permanent "death," so to speak. If the Web has taught us anything it's that some ideas and concepts go away for a bit only to be resurrected later in a similar format, with some major (or minor) change that once again makes the model viable. Something that Svetlana Gladkova noted strikes a chord - "...hope it will be a success only because of the huge number of cross links they can exchange." That quote meant to indicate that those cross links wouldn't be enough to save the model. As a counterpoint: while there are a number of reasons for the success of Wikipedia, those cross links are a big part of the site's overall success and ongoing massive amounts of traffic. Another thing the Web has taught us is that if you can drive enough visitors to a site, you can pretty much make something out of it. The question is whether the blog network that takes this approach will still actually be a blog network after the evolution that this would represent.
  reply
• 

  Phil

  7 months ago

  Nice
  reply
• 

  franky

  7 months ago

  On that note, at SP two out of three of the featured bloggerjobs are affiliates already.
  
  Another medium dying breed? Less authors all over the network, more the same authors publishing on several sites and less entries in general. Still buying new blogs, but adding less and less quality/content as well. Cheap authors mainly relying on one brand/publisher + affiliates. FTW!
  reply
• 

  alex

  4 months ago

  i think so
  reply