I’ve been watching the news buzzing around the blogosphere of Robert Scoble leaving Microsoft to go to PodTech with fascination for the last few days. I’m not fascinated by it really for the news itself (although it’ll be interesting to see how Robert approaches the new roll and whether it pays off for PodTech) but am intrigued by a couple of other things:
Firstly the speed and that the news got out at and the vast numbers of posts that were written about it was quite amazing to watch. I mean in reality this is a story of a guy changing jobs and yet it was one of the biggest stories going around the blogosphere for a number of days in a row. Check out the ‘top searches on Technorati today – Robert is only out done by the largest sporting event in the world.
My second interest in the story is that Robert’s story is a great example of a blogger with opportunities opening up as a result of his blog. I often draw the distinction between bloggers who make money directly from their blogs and bloggers who make money because of their blogs but have found it much harder to find prominent examples of the second type than the first. This is a prime example of someone who over time has built a profile to the point where he’s an attractive target for an upcoming start up. The publicity that the story of Robert swapping jobs is probably worth what ever PodTech are paying him alone (let alone whatever he’ll do when he actually goes over to them).
Another Example
Speaking of bloggers making money BECAUSE of their blogs – another blogger looks like he’s doing similar things. Valleywag has broken a story today of Om Malik from GigaOm pulling back on his position at Business 2.0 from being a ‘senior writer’ to a ‘contributing editor’. The reason is that he’s apparently received funding to take GigaOm to the next level and make it a business in and of itself.
Om runs ads on his blog at present (and therefore is making money from his blog) but I suspect that the business he’ll develop will take him into the second category of bloggers also. It’ll be an interesting development to watch.
Update: Om has posted about the news on his blog now and explains his reasons so it’s all official.
Do all the people blogging about Scoble changing job do it because they are sheep and want to do like their peer, or are they doing it because there is nothing else happening in the world?!? !
Who really cares about this guy’s job?
Or rather, why should *I* care? :)
I got my job pretty much exclusively because of my blog and blogging. There is little doubt about it.
Since there are so many stories of people losing their jobs through blogging, it is nice to also hear that the reverse can also apply.
I’ve seen an awful lot of blogs mentioning Scoble in the last few days and the story even got on the fron tpage of the BBC yesterday. I think there are too many top category bloggers saying that they really don’t care about this but then mentioning it anyway, perhaps in a sheep like fashion as brem mentions above or perhaps to get some of the free technorati juice. Of all the top tier blog sites mentioning it, the last one to be ashamed about it or seemingly disinterested should be Problogger!! This is a site about problogging, you shiould get out there and interview the guy or something!!! About blogging, microsoft, podcasts or whatever else seems most relevant to you in blogging terms. Or even do a vlog of him talking about problogging and microsoft or whatever takes your fancy.
I’m start thing that u absolutely ignore this news!
Isn’t Robert Scoble also considered a ProBlogger? I agree. He should be interviewed here on how his problogging got him to this status in the blogosphere.
hey I’d love to interview Robert – but unfortunately I’m a small fry, he’s obviously got other things on his mind and I’m not liking my chances. It’s hard enough getting him to respond to my one question interview at the moment let alone get him agree to a full on interview (from what I hear everyone is trying to get him to talk to them atm – I don’t blame him for not getting back to me on it).
Don’t assume that because you don’t see an interview etc here that I’ve not been trying or am ignoring this news. I’ll keep trying though :–)
~~ but unfortunately I’m a small fry ~~ Boy, aren’t you humble?
~~ I’ve not been trying or am ignoring this news. I’ll keep trying though ~~ I’m so glad to hear this, always looking forward to interview post even to those contributors’ posts during your absent.
brem: I agree. The same reason I did *not* blog about Scoble. I have respect for the guy but he’s one man. Same reason I didn’t blog about Dave Winer exiting blogging.
Something like this might point to a different conclusion: there really isn’t that much going on in the blogosphere. Maybe it was just a very slow news day.
I am happy to see that now bloggers are receiving so huge amount of attention. It was unbeliveable even only 100 days ago and now this is real. This is a new feature of Web 2.0.