The Truth is Whatever You Make It
With over 8,000 blogs and content feeds generating millions of impressions, Pheedo is the largest ad network connecting your brand with today’s fastest growing and effective online medium.
– Pheedo
The truth is whatever you make of it or whatever boundaries you set for it in today’s Web 2.0 world and it seems those boundaries are either being stretched to great lengths or reduced to shrink the competition. Now making a claim that you are the largest ad network around is a pretty big claim. That means you are putting yourself ahead of Google’s Adsense and many other large networks. How can you even think it’s okay to make a claim like this without breaking the trust of your audience?
I have gotten into the same kind of debate with the founders of b5media who claim to have the largest blog network after merging with About Weblogs, even though their total number puts them below Weblogs, Inc. and the 9rules Network. Their argument is that 9rules and b5 are two different types of networks and therefore they fall under different categories. And even though they fall under the same category as WIN they believe that since most of the sites are inactive that they shouldn’t count. Is this fair?
As someone who is on the web daily and is smart enough to ignore these kinds of claims it doesn’t bother me from a personal perspective all that much. However, from a business perspective I can only imagine what would happen if a “normal” web reader comes across their network and see their claims as being the largest blog network around and therefore associates them with being the best. Same goes with Pheedo. Is this fair? Of course it isn’t, but when you are talking business competition nobody said that things had to be played fairly.
With so many metrics that can be used to measure the size of an ad/content network it’s hard for anybody to make the claim as being the largest or best, yet we still see a lot of people doing it. At 9rules, I know we have made a conscious effort not to say we are the #1 of anything, but we like to give off that impression in other ways. Trust me we would love to say:
- We are the largest blog network around
- We are the largest independent content network around
- We are the prettiest network around
- We are the greatest network around
But we don’t say these things (at least I am pretty sure we don’t) because where is the proof? Is it okay to set the metrics, rules and boundaries so that we are able to make all of the claims above or should we just worry about making the best product/service in our minds and let our users speak? We like to do the latter and I wish more companies would do the same. Just because you are the largest doesn’t mean I am going to signup with you, but it might mean that more investors wish to jump onboard the bandwagon so maybe I am still missing something there.
In the Web 2.0 world where does the truth end and the lies begin? Probably never since I am now going to claim that I run the most popular web design blog run by an “African-American” living in the city of Tampa with a messy room and 30″ Apple Display. The truth will always be what we make of it I suppose.
Do I think that companies shouldn’ even bother with making such claims? No, because we have to be proud of something, but I do think that we all should be more conscious of the claims we make because we all know that in today’s world where everyone owns a site these claims can quickly backfire on us.
I think letting your users speak for you is a very good practice, and prevents you from sticking your foot squarely in your mouth.
By JohnO on November 21, 2005 1:03 pm
I agree JohnO and feel that companies shouldn’t have to make such claims if their customers are doing the job for them. However, I know this isn’t always the case though and it’s okay to toot your own horn here and there. Doing it too much though can wear people down.
By Scrivs on November 21, 2005 1:05 pm
Isn’t a lot of marketing filled with exagerations? Sometimes, it doesn’t matter who actually is the largest, but who claims it first. As long as only 1 network claims to be the largest, new viewers will believe them.
By Kyle Posey on November 21, 2005 1:29 pm
That’s something I’ve always appreciated about the 9rules Network. Y’all emphasize quality, not quantity. Sure, you could say “We are the best blog network,” and I’d be inclined to agree, but such things are so subjective that they’re better left unsaid. I am glad that you choose to take the high road, rather than making broad-sweeping claims to fame.
By Nathan Smith on November 21, 2005 2:24 pm
I agree. I could easily say I AM THE BEST BLOGGER IN THE UNIVERSE. Instead I choose to let my readers say that for me. And they do. I could say I think Fine Fools is a cool place to chill and it is. Instead we just have to let readers speak for the obvious and they are. Yeah Baby.
By Liberalcowboy on November 21, 2005 3:04 pm
Well, all I can say is 9Rules is displayed on just about all the blogs I read - and I haven’t added any through your main site… yet.
And damn! It must be true what they say, mine’s only 23″
By Steve Williams on November 21, 2005 4:16 pm
I don’t think that saying “Biggest thing around” could be called the truth if it isn’t.
That would be the same as if someone gave you a white t-shirt and says that it’s blue…
I believe that it’s all part of a marketing strategy. Imagine you’re going to a kind of website that says they are the 2nd, 3rd or 4th largest thing around, I’m guessing the reader would go and look for the #1.
I’m also guessing the websites that call themselfs the best, the #1, etc are looking for numbers instead of quality, and quality is what made me ctrl+d 9rules so there’s what everyboody should concentrate.
Creating a good product and then with the right amount of publicity it will grow in numbers and quality.
By Mario on November 21, 2005 10:11 pm
So this motivated me to provide a bit of a sneak preview to what we’re doing with Blog Network list (www.blognetworklist.com):
According to the best information we have available in the new blognetworklist database (coming soon to beta), and not counting sites added in the last week or so, here is the breakdown of blog networks by size:
+—+—+
| networkname | networksize |
+—+—+
| Open Source Media | 88 |
| 9rules | 85 |
| Weblogs, Inc. | 82 |
| b5media | 55 |
| Creative Weblogging | 41 |
| Instablogs | 41 |
| Podcast Network | 40 |
| Sports Cartel | 36 |
| Metroblogging | 35 |
| Project DU | 30 |
| Corante | 27 |
| Social Media Group | 23 |
| Law Professor Blogs | 23 |
| Niner Niner Weblog Network | 21 |
| Writers Write, Inc. | 20 |
| Web 2.0 Workgroup | 20 |
| Niche Blogs Network | 19 |
| Blogo | 18 |
| Fine Fools | 17 |
| HART Empire Network | 17 |
+—+—+
Those are the top 20 anyways, we’re tracking just over 60 right now.
I believe with the round 3 blogs coming on that 9rules has more sites than anyone else.
That said - it’s the QUALITY in my mind, not the number of sites that come to mind.
One could argue that if it’s quality, well then more peopel would be talking about those blogs, and thus they would link to them more. Hence a look at Technorati data. Here’s how that shakes out - only a top few this time.
| networkname | totalblogs |
+-+–+
| Open Source Media | 49985 |
| Weblogs, Inc. | 32266 |
| Gawker Media | 28545 |
| 9rules | 15961 |
| Project DU | 8633 |
| Web 2.0 Workgroup | 7927 |
| Corante | 4989 |
| b5media | 3660 |
Then again, since some networks are larger than others, maybe it’s the averagenumber of blogs talking about that network’s blogs.. in which case it’s:
| networkname | averageblogs |
+–+—-+
| Gawker Media | 2039 |
| Open Source Media | 568 |
| Web 2.0 Workgroup | 396 |
| Weblogs, Inc. | 393 |
| Project DU | 288 |
| Weblogs SL | 216 |
| 9rules | 188 |
Or maybe it’s pure, traffic.. so Average Alexa Rank:
| Gawker Media | 31018 |
| Web 2.0 Workgroup | 185096 |
| Spoke Media | 190168 |
| Weblogs, Inc. | 261623 |
| Sports Cartel | 291746 |
| Weblogs SL | 305202 |
| Rarevibe | 392215 |
| Glam Blog Network | 410426 |
| Lipped Media | 419460 |
So.. to your point, I dunno what fair is and I’m not sure I care.. but the data is fun to play with ;)
Enjoy ;)
Matt
By Matt on November 22, 2005 12:15 am
Exaggerating and tooting one’s own horn must have worked in the past for some companies and may continue to work for others. Otherwise you would think that people and organizations wouldn’t do it as much. However, in today’s increasingly media and marketing conscious world, it has less of an impact. As a twenty-two year old male, I instantly spot marketing speak and automatically ignore most of it. It is behind banner blindness all over again.
The sheer prevalence of user and customer testimonials on the web shows that many companies do actually “get it” and are letting their users speak. If the company actually has a good product, their testimonials will show it and the company will profit. When it comes to online shopping, I won’t purchase anything substantial without reading a ton of actual user feedback (usually from multiple sources). When talking strictly about marketing a product, these same principles can easily be applied to other areas, including blog networks.
By Joe Lencioni on November 22, 2005 12:58 am
Joe,
I agree totally. I just can’t post any customer review information until the site is live.. because there isn’t any ;-)
That will be *very* interesting to read though
Matt
By Matt on November 22, 2005 1:01 am
Interesting numbers there Matt. We probably could place ourselves higher in most of those categories if we changed our strategy, but that’s not going to happen. Interesting to look at nonetheless.
By Scrivs on November 22, 2005 2:32 am
There’s definitely a lot of ‘competitive atmosphere’ among the various networks. The thing is though: Who cares which network is ‘the largest’. For all I know 9rules might become the largest one again after all 3rd round blogs have been admitted. But again: who cares really.
There’s a huge difference between the various networks. The large ones often feature generic looking blogs packed with ads making it quite clear they’re in it for the money.
9rules is in it for being something greater than the sum of all blogs it has in it. At least that’s the feeling I get with it. Added to that it doesn’t have any of this ‘generic feel’ that most other networks have when you hop from one of their blogs to another one. Most blogs not only have good content but look great as well. That’s why I was so eager to join the network. To me all of this sets it apart from all other networks, no matter if they’re larger or smaller with whatever metrics applied to make a claim about it’s size.
By Marco on November 22, 2005 6:24 am
Here’s something you can’t measure: which network has the most passionate members and users?
By all rights, all of the networks that received mention are fairly “successful,” but by and large, we’re talking about a ridiculous pissing contest.
Me? I like 9rules and the Web 2.0 workgroup. They’re more relevant to my corner of the universe, and I like the site designs better. Also, the content is invariably going to be higher quality because 9rules and W2.0 don’t own it! For my money, information ASSIMILATION beats the hell out of information generation.
By Chris on November 22, 2005 10:34 am
Matt -
Some really unusual (as in not frequently measured) metrics there. Look forward to seeing the whole list.
thanks
s
By Scott Kidder on November 22, 2005 11:44 am
Couldn’t agree with you more. Companies who make these claims and cannot back them up do lose the trust of their customers. We operate a blog ad exchange network as well as a premium network. In total, we place ads on 8k blogs from small to large.
I take these aligations of misleading our audience seriously. I think we all know what happens to companies in Web 2.0 who are not truthful. I would not risk my reputation, nor the reputation of my employees and investors on inflating our numbers. It does me no good in the long run. I have been in the online ad business for many years and have built a great reputation. I am not about to throw that away.
You choose to market your business differently.
On your site you say, “We highlight the very best web content in the world and package it in a nice bow for you to unwrap.” Who defines “best” you or your readers? “Best” infers having content better then anyone else. In your words, “… where is the proof?” I wonder how a “normal” web reader would interpret that? You use the word “best” to attrack advertisers and appeal to publisher so they know they are part of the “best” blog network online.
I am not hear to say you are wrong but you to make claims about your network. At the end of the day, you have to answer the question of what makes you different then your competitors. You choose to say you have the “best”, we say we have a large network of blogs and content feeds.
Thank you,
Bill Flitter
Founder, Pheedo
By Bill Flitter on November 22, 2005 2:35 pm
Hi,
Thanks for the comments here and on email - I think it will at least provide us with some entertainment and some metrics that we hadn’t though of yet.
Matt
By Matt on November 22, 2005 8:49 pm
The truth is as grandma said in the eating of the pudding. When it comes down to it everyone is proclaiming they are the biggest this, the greatest that. For me personally, content speaks far louder than some weeing competition other networks seem to take pleasure in saying they won. 9rules does this for me, gives me the content and the quality and therefore I tend to look to the content of others in comparism with this. Some others might have huge site numbers but I would question what the quality with regards to content is.
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