By: Si Chen

Si Chen — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:43:50 +0000

In reply to Tanya Ott. Hi Tanya, Good to hear from you again! The bit about Aaron Spelling is a little LA humor. I hope nobody is offended. "How to monetize good content" is a tough one. We certainly ask that every day as open source software developers. I wouldn't pretend to have the answer, but here are somethings I've been thinking about:

Do some content have inherently more monetary value than others? For example, would I make more money if I wrote a blog about real estate finance instead?
Is the business of monetizing content just inherently risky, no matter how good you are? (All the indie film people out here would probably agree to that one.)
Can the value chain for monetizing content be improved? For example, is advertising an inherently inefficient model for connecting content and commerce?

Again, I don't have the answer, but thanks for asking a tough yet thought-provoking question.

By: Tanya Ott

Tanya Ott — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 04:35:47 +0000

As a “content producer” for both traditional outlets (radio) and new media (twitter, blog, etc) I’d really like to embrace your vision of the future, but I’m just not that optimistic.

There are very few examples of content producers making a living, let alone Spelling-like $$ from their writing/video/etc. I know many, many folks who’ve tried, but just can’t make a go of it even though they’re talented, savvy, etc. I guess if you’re a website that lets writers “produce content” for you for free in exchange for “exposure” (hufpo anyone?) you can make money… but, hmmm…

Comments on: Social Media, Networking, and Networks

By: Si Chen

By: Tanya Ott