posted a blog stating that anyone in the long tail end of the blogosphere can have as much impact as any of the top bricks in the blogging pyramid. For this, he has been called deceptively cruel and he seems to be taking this criticism to heart, wondering if his statements are filled with with more Cluetrain idealism than actual truth.
Doc Searls, is just about the most egalitarian guys I know. He has encouraged more new bloggers than anyone I know and he is constantly giving people advice on how to become more visable and popular as a blogger. Doc, by nature is a generous guy.
First, Doc is very wise to take all criticism to heart and to constantly rethink his views. Second, for anyone who knows Doc, it is clear the guy does not have a cruel fiber anywhere in his body. But third, there seems to me to be overwhelming evidence that the nature of the blogosphere gives everyone a chance to be heard, and as the blogosphere continues its relentless expansion, this statement remains even more true.
So many examples jump to mind. There's Thomas Mahon, a Saville Row tailor who was nearly out of business before he started English Cut, a blog that caught everyone's attention and reversed his personal financial fortunes. . It happened for Grace Bonney an unemployed publicist whose Design Sponge blog has made her a powerful influence in her field. There's Patrice Cassard, a game developer who's La Fraise T-Shirt blog has moved him from unemployed status to downright wealthy. There's also the brave Dutch and Norwegian video bloggers who jumped from obscure to the top of all rankings for being there to record and post the tsunami as it broke over the beaches in Phuket as well as the camera phone blogger who showed the world what happened when a bomb exploded in the London tube. This event was repeated just a few weeks ago bu a phone blogger in an Alaska Arlines Passenger jet that sprung a leak at 30,000 feet. There's also the case of the anonymous EA Spouse who complained in a blog about her husband's awful working conditions in an obscure little blog. Electronic Arts ignored her comments as they wended their way through the blogosphere. The company continued to ignore it right up until they settled one of its two employee abuse law suits for $15.4 million--all because of an obscure, anonymous blogger.
I hate the term A-Lister. In fact, the first time I heard the term, I posted a protest to none other than Doc Searls when I first heard the term two years ago. He has since convinced me that he hates the term as much as I did. I have given up avoiding its use, since it has become so commonplace to blogging vernacular. The key point is that Z-listers become A-Listers every day. To remain an A-Lister however, you really need to invest the time and demonstrate the dedication that people like Doc show consistently, over time.Doc blogs a zillion times daily. He addresses issues that interest lots of people and very often he adds value and insight to the conversation. He is always transparent, authentic and wonderfully human.
Doc, you are an A-Lister in my book and you should take that as a compliment.
