Scobleizer - Latest Comments in TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

fpaynter — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:41:38 -0000

MikeJones: this isn’t about A listers. If the A listers aren’t getting linked to, imagine how the Z listers are going to get on TechMeme.

Dude, I am such a Z-lister, but I get hooked up on TechMeme from time to time when I write about something interesting and early in what passes for "the conversation." Since getting the first scoop isn't high on my list, I don't have your issues, but besides a little insider gossip and self satisfied schmoozing, what does scoblizer really contribute anyway? I came hear via the arm-farting post which I thought was very apt.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Matt Cutts — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:07:53 -0000

Robert, what would the ideal version of a "hot stories in the blogosphere" site look like to you?

Whether you start with Techmeme or http://www.google.com/trend... I'd be curious what you like/don't like and would want in an ideal world.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Rob La Gesse — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:23:16 -0000

Interesting - I came in late to this discussion because - well, I was busy doing other things.

Anyway, Techmeme isn't even indexing blogs they way they used to - don't believe me, go look. My own blog used to be indexed every day - even within minutes of me pinging Techmeme.

Right now they haven't indexed me in 5 days. That's a lot of blog posts they don'' know about.

My reader count has actually GONE UP in the last five days. Except on Techmeme - where my blog has fallen ~10K in rankings (since they stopped indexing me).

And it's not just my blog - almost every bog that's in the 200+ ranking has shown huge delays in indexing - at least from my very limited and random samplings.

So yes - Techmeme is changing. Which is fine. Just tell me what you are changing to so I an decide if you still offer me value or not.

Gabe - what's up? Is my blog still important enough to you for you to index, or not? If not, let me know. That's fair enough.

If it is, why aren't you?

Rob

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Rob Greenlee — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:50:59 -0000

The magnetic attraction of major media sources continues and so does the impression that it drives and sustains the most attention. It sometimes does, but major media also drives a quick burnout of attention around a news story. If a story breaks on major media it has a shorter life with long-tail and A-list bloggers. They just don't care enough about it because the major media got it. Just think about how Techmeme drove its early success. It was YOU Robert who turned me on to Techmeme before it ever went live. The basis for its success is with bloggers. In-bound links should be the top driver of Techmeme relevancy. Treat every source the same.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Stephane Rodriguez — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:02:16 -0000

"Tim: the problem with Google Blog search is that it doesn’t show me the hot articles that have the most inbound links. Now, if it DID then it would be killer."

Not only it's coming, but there are better ways (i.e. not gamed by inbound links, something that even rookie SEO/spammers are taking advantage of).

Techmeme is dead.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Robert Scoble — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:36:51 -0000

LayZ: most bloggers I meet want to be heard. Some might only want to be heard by their families. In which case they should blog on Vox and hand their families a password protected blog which keeps everyone else out.

Those of us who are writing for audiences and have chosen to do so appreciate links.

And I certainly link to FAR more blogs than link to me on the average day.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

David — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:27:33 -0000

Interesting all those links and not a single link to the original press release, what a sham, err I mean shame.

Go out on a limb tell me what you really think about Plaxo ... otherwise it's just another "hey look what I saw on the internets today" post.

Regarding your issue w/ Techmeme, Techmeme is becoming increasingly irrelevant for me. If I wanted to get my tech news from Reuters, NYTimes, LATimes, Cnet, CNN, BBC or some other big news outlet I'd go direct I don't need Techmeme to do that for me. Really I expect anytime now to see pcmag links up there.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

LayZ — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:26:17 -0000

@28. Mack is spot on. Scoble, has the purpose of blogging changed? Is the point of blogging now to get links? If so, then why doesn't every blogger pollute their posts with links?

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

dawn m. armfield — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:51:58 -0000

Great videos on Plaxo, btw. I watched them this morning and they made me rethink my initial judgment of the service. I re-signed up today.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Taylor Marek — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:39:38 -0000

Congratulations Robert. Looks like you created more interest about Plaxo.

Unique blog....

I'll be back for more.....keep up the good work.....:)

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Rex Dixon — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:38:22 -0000

This "Z lister" liked Techmeme the way it was. Now sometimes it did get a bit ridiculous as every blog went after that one top story; ie... iPhone, and whatever the big topic of the day is.

I liked the way it worked. I have noticed some changes there so call me the same --- “arrogant bbbbaahhhhhsssssttttttaaaarrrrrdddddd”

Rex

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

burtonator — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:30:16 -0000

Hey......

What error did you get... I'll check our logs. Shouldn't have happened. I think we're not picking up the Plaxo thing because we're in the middle of a BIG upgrade right now. A lot more hardware... stay tuned :)

Kevin

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Mack Collier — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:51:56 -0000

"MikeJones: this isn’t about A listers. If the A listers aren’t getting linked to, imagine how the Z listers are going to get on TechMeme."

Most Z-Lister write for their readers and themselves, not because they are trying to get listed at the top of TechMeme.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

chipgriffin — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:43:29 -0000

I am a huge fan of automation and run a company based largely on that very premise. At the same time, I see real value in human editing. I would love to see sites like TechMeme and Digg have an "editor's version" or something similar that would take advantage of all the AI and user voting and such, but would layer on the human judgment.

This would have the benefit of reducing the domination of either site by one story/topic, as well as to ensure that the sources linked to provide the best representation of the ongoing discussion.

For me, TechMeme serves a great purpose in identifying the most important TOPICS each day, not necessarily the best POSTS/STORIES.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Tim Faulkner, nee Goebbels — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:36:53 -0000

Obviously, you don't want Google Blog search... I think it's funny you focus on TechMeme because of its success: TechMeme is no good, Google News is no good, Yahoo News is no good, Digg is no good, Google Blog search is no good... Your shared links are perfect and are going to take over the world, but in the meantime, you wish Gabe would build what you want( not what he wants), and hopefully, that site (because it is popular) would include your posts.

Okay. Do we need to keep hearing that Gabe Rivera is not Robert Scoble? That Scoble does not run TechMeme? That's all you're saying. The majority disagees with you. If you can do better, than do it. Prove the majority wrong.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Robert Scoble — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:33:08 -0000

MikeJones: this isn't about A listers. If the A listers aren't getting linked to, imagine how the Z listers are going to get on TechMeme.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Robert Scoble — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:31:51 -0000

Todd: yup, in fact, I've seen that TechMeme penalizes sites that link. Heck, the Register's article didn't even get linked to or from and yet still got on TechMeme!

But that's why I started my link blog so that the best articles would get exposure, not just the ones that Gabe thinks are best.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

MikeJones — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:31:20 -0000

After the payola scandal, should we even be trusting of the so called A listers?

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Todd Cochrane — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:23:29 -0000

Robert

Part of the problem is that some sites refuse to link to the original sources. I keep adding to my list of sites daily that I refuse to give link love to because they hardly ever link to the source material.

I have regulated techmeme to a lower priority read feed because of some of the same issues you are seeing.

A good experiment would be to track which sites gets the original article credit and I bet you will find less than 150 sites all get the top link love. I can name 2-3 that always get top ranking even though they are hardly ever first.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Chris Brogan... — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:18:22 -0000

In the "I want a unicorn and a talking monkey" vein, what I *wish* Gabe might do is do an "as well as" kind of play, where blogs were still the main conduit for these stories, but that the other sources got added into the stream.

From the consumer point of view, opening this up beyond the same people who used to read Slashdot / Digg / etc, etc, directly is probably good business, as it'll give an ever larger slice of info.

However, as you rightly point out, blogs are more often surfacing stories that eventually get sucked into the fanblades of mainstream media a few days later and with less impact, so I think the focus should stay weighted towards blogs.

So in the end, I concur with Robert, and wish Gabe would make it a wider product with weight on blogs. And I want a pony.

Btw, as a Facebook friend, I saw your twitter and felt the urge to comment. : )

--Chris Brogan...

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Robert Scoble — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:17:43 -0000

Sal: I think Gabe wants to create a service that Rupert Murdoch will be likely to buy. That requires him to get a bigger audience than just bloggers. Techmeme's move is smart: business wise.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Robert Scoble — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:16:55 -0000

Tim: the problem with Google Blog search is that it doesn't show me the hot articles that have the most inbound links. Now, if it DID then it would be killer.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

sal cangeloso — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:01:23 -0000

I haven't looked deeply enough into the Techmeme thing to make any definitely comments, but I have seen a trend towards larger news outlets. Almost every tech-related NYtimes article go up there.

But isn't this what happens to all sites? Digg favors larger site and lots of other similar services do the same. Once you get large enough that you can send a lot of traffic to big sites, they want to get more and start to cooperate with you. The NY Times links articles to digg, facebook and newsvine- it just makes sense for everyone.

For Techmeme to move in that direction might just make good business sense. Maybe we'll all be reading blogmeme in a few months after the tech sector is taken over by the big guys...

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Tim Faulkner, nee Goebbels — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:50:54 -0000

I think it's hilarious that you think TechMeme is too much like/trying to be Google News, but you want it to reflect the results of Google Blog Search. Use Google Blog Search then. Problem solved.

Re: TechMeme not going for most linked blogs anymore

Siamak — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:50:41 -0000

Robert, what do you think about Megite (http://www.megite.com/) as a meme tracker?