Comments on: the global microbrand, revisited

By: What Is It That You’re ALWAYS Selling? | Wizpress.com

What Is It That You’re ALWAYS Selling? | Wizpress.com — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:32:30 +0000

[…] impact of it all is what goes into creating what Hugh ‘GapingVoid’ Macleod calls ‘the global microbrand‘ that’s […]

By: Melissa Chang

Melissa Chang — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:31:15 +0000

I'm someone for whom change feels like death, and it was only after I came to the realization that fear was holding me back that I could move forward. Thanks for the artwork reminder - this one will make it to my "inspiration" folder for when (I would like to say "if" but that's not very realistic!) I try to chicken out again in the future.

By: Gary Grant

Gary Grant — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:23:52 +0000

Great post Hugh!
As I strive to build the best automotive blog out there, I am constantly reminded that I’m up against some pretty stiff competition.
Recently, I attended a traditional automotive media function in the States. I was stunned to find out that almost everyone knew who I am. I’m “that Canadian guy”.
Perhaps I’ve inadvertently begun creating my own GMB.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:07:30 +0000

Blogs will be here in 100 years, just like telephones and radio and television have stuck around so many decades after their introduction, and just like printed books are going stronger than ever 550 years on. But all of the technologies by which these things are delivered will continue to evolve — just like the evolutions to digital cell phones from POTS landlines, Sirius instead of weak-signal terrestrial radio, PoD books instead of handset letterpress, et cetera. And they’ll all compete / cooperate in a big jumble, like they do now.
The key is, how do you use ANY of these things to promote your Global Microbrand? You have one method (cartoons etc.), Seth G. has another (includes lotsa books), Howard Stern has another (radio), Lawrence Lessig has another (includes professoring). Et cetera. There are many paths up the mountain.

By: jill

jill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:28:03 +0000

GMBs are intriguing. I’ve been reading blogs from several for years now to, as you point out, learn from the best. What I have yet to learn is how to find the time to write one. That blank page just stays blank.
There is no point making yourself into a GMB without a point. Number 11 has just clarified that for me. Hooray, I love you turning my ideas on their heads.
Great blog, Hugh, as ever.
PS When your company and friends are not very techie, a lot of your friends are virtual. And they don’t even know they’re your friends. I am my own secret GMB.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:03:03 +0000

John, I hear you, totally. But people are busy. They already have jobs and families etc. You may not agree with their choices, but those are the choices they made. It’s really no more complicated than that.

By: John Rocheleau

John Rocheleau — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:14:05 +0000

I love the artwork. Too true; change isn’t death, but fear of it can sure get us there fast.
I’m thinking about your #1 point that blogs are powerful but time consuming, and so the change toward “Cheap Easy, Global Media.” I’m thinking, what’s wrong with consuming time?
There is magic in spending absorbed time in something of value. As an artist I get to deal with time, all the time and I consume a lot of it. I do hope that bloggers will always relish their time at the keyboard. A keyboard or a canvas — they are the same.
Cheers,
John

By: oliver gassner

oliver gassner — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:34:50 +0000

@hugh:
Well, they see these examples of guys taking photos of themelves with huge checks. Or hear of guys who claim to make thousands a month with ‘reports’ you buy or with blogging porn content.
On the one hand the German press is playing down blogs as ‘diaries of teenagers’ –they are very afraid…- on the other hand media houses open blog platforms for readers — and fail because they do not understand the culture. Now is seems we have only 100.000 to 200.000 “active” blogs in German. (Roughly 100.000+ are updated ‘at least once in 2 months’.)
OK, some German complaining going on. Stopping now.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:20:59 +0000

Thanks for that, Foreignerd… That link went missing on me a while ago, nice to have it back!

By: Foreignerd

Foreignerd — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:56:51 +0000

Here is the link for that Shirky quote: http://gothamist.com/2004/04/09/clay_shirky_internet_technologist.php

By: Michael Martine

Michael Martine — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:28:00 +0000

There’s always a market for vapor. Pretty amazing, really.
Between the world going “flat” and what Clay said, you’ve got one big petri dish in which to grow a GMB.

By: francine

francine — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:01:38 +0000

I don’t have a GMB, but I have found that doing only what I enjoy does bring me enough money to survive and keep doing what I enjoy. I have two different Gaping Void business cards that I use to amuse the Phoenix, Arizona business community as I position myself to be a writer at long last.

By: Hg

Hg — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:55:49 +0000

I think many people have quite a simple and limited idea of what “making money” involves. I include myself in this generalisation. For years, I assumed that I should have some kind of job to make money to allow me to do the things I “really” wanted to do.
Only when the inevitable mid-life crisis kicked in did I realise that actually, I should be doing the things I “really” want to do all the time and working out how to make a living from them. That’s scary! Though also, I’m discovering, hugely fulfilling.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:51:56 +0000

Totally agree, Oliver. Interesting how “They didn’t want to hear it”. Everybody want the easy life, the quick fix, I suppose…

By: oliver gassner

oliver gassner — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:42:49 +0000

Yep, I like #11 very much. It’s also (in other, less and –therefore– much better words) what I said at a online thingy where people wanted me to tell them how to get rich blogging.
I told them not to monetize the blogging but to find some skill or thing they can monetize and then blog about it. (They did not want to hear this )
(Got the direct twit about geek dinners in *.de?)