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In my last column, I touched on the idea
that as more people switch, Apple will have to become more attentive
to customer needs.
In the same vein, Apple has to realize that they are gradually
gaining a higher profile in the weblog "blogosphere".
In a very simplified nutshell, weblogs are websites that are
updated on a daily basis. These updates may be simple musings,
personal opinions, or short articles. They usually contain a
smattering of links to other sites or articles. Again, weblogs are
much more complex than that. You can find a good overview
of weblogs here.
While many people have never heard of weblogs, it's clear that
some wield an enormous amount of power. Some of the most popular
weblogs can bring in as many as 10,000 readers a day. That's nothing
to sneeze at.
While the number of weblogs in existence might be between 250,000
and 500,000, depending upon who you refer to, the number of people
who read them is much higher.
Which brings us to Apple. There are many popular weblog writers
who are Mac users. There are also a rising number of popular weblog
writers who are switching to Apple products. Two popular weblog
writers who have recently made the switch (or switched back) are
Jason Kottke and
Meg Hourihan. Both of
these people (along with many others) could be considered founders of
the weblog age. Their audiences are substantial. And their audiences
differ greatly from other websites that discuss Macintoshes; their
audiences are probably not Mac users.
This means that there is a vast audience of potential switchers
visiting a weblog every day. While neither Meg nor Jason make the
Macintosh the main topic of their weblogs, they do mention them
occasionally. So far the mentions have been favorable. That may not
always be the case.
Zeldman is one of the most respected web designers on the planet.
Thousands read his weblog every day. When Jeffrey ran into serious
problems with his Jaguar upgrade, he wasn't shy about sharing his
feelings. Witness OS X
Blues Part 1 and Part
2.
I think the OS X Blues articles are great. So great, in fact, they
have made me think twice before upgrading to 10.2. I'm already a Mac
user. Think of the thousands of Zeldman readers who are not Mac
users. I'd say that those two articles generated a lot of bad PR for
Apple.
I'm not saying that those who have famous weblogs or columns
should get better treatment. What I'm saying is that the journalistic
topography has and is changing. While sending a machine to David
Coursey so that he can test it out is a good idea, there are more and
more people who command small audiences that are just as influential,
if not more.
In fact, it's likely that weblog writers have more influence over
their readers than regular journalists, because they seem to forge
real relationships with their readers. Regular readers feel a more
personal connection to the weblog writer because a weblog is an
inherently personal thing that usually doesn't make the writer any
money.
I would trust a software review from Jeffrey Zeldman. I might not
place that same level of trust on a review from MacAddict. MacAddict
must make money, and, while I don't doubt their journalistic
integrity, I never know then they may be skewing some of their
writing to favor an advertiser.
So, some weblog writers have large audiences, are trusted by their
readers, and can influence their buying decisions. Apple would do
well to keep an eye on some of the more prominent weblog writers that
use Macintoshes.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
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