Why do you feel the need to justify yourself to those guys? It's all pretty small beer, IMHO....
Elias
· 2 years ago
...true, but the big difference however, is that your Sunday video was sharing your personal opinion about the future of an entire industry - not a video to of a bunch of people working on their projects or their own views about the state of the world.
Idiot or not - it got people thinking.
Steven Livingstone
· 2 years ago
Robert on the front on my blog (which i know is now your homepage) i have the quotation:
"Before a brilliant person begins something great, they must look foolish to the crowd."
IMHO (and only mine) great ideas come out of these kind of random mind dumps (or "rants") - often long before it becomes clear to the greater audience.
I follow a lot of your stuff, videos are especially good so if you have a feeling something is worth saying, then there is likely a good reason for us to take some notice.
I read "Blink" where people spontaneously start clapping in an audience completely unaware they have done it in respone to an original "clapper" near them in the audience. Good read for all i'd say.
Brett Nordquist
· 2 years ago
I didn't watch any of the other videos you said were better or maybe more interesting. But I watched your Kyle.TV video because it was you. Raw. Unscripted. On the fly. That's what made it interesting for me. A lot of the other videos you list cover more more serious topics. Most of the time I don't want that. I can look to MSNBC, Fortune Magazine or Business Week if I want serious. Keeping doing what what you want. Your Kyle.TV stuff was great. Who cares what Wired thinks.
AidanM
· 2 years ago
Don't stew over it Robert, any idiot can sit back and criticize, very few have to guts to come up with an sort of independent thought.
Robert Scoble
· 2 years ago
Brett: actually all my videos are me raw and unscripted. Seriously.
Steve Spalding
· 2 years ago
A lot these videos are excellent, many of them I have seen. Some of them I have pointed out to others.
Honestly, and I am being serious here, I just have a hard time believing that someone as clever as you did not know he was opening up a powder keg with that post. I really, really do. You don't need to justify yourself to anyone but come now, the old innocent shtick is a bit much.
I respect the conversation you started. I always feel sorry when the winds of the blogosphere turn against someone who is trying to voice an opinion, but all of this notwithstanding, when you make an argument like you did -- it's hard not to expect some kind of reaction (positive and negative).
Robert Scoble
· 2 years ago
Steve: I knew an interesting conversation would get going, but I figured it was a small group. I mean, look at the video with the IBM lawyer. He said some stuff that should have gotten this kind of response, particularly when he talked about open source licenses or patent trolls or remaking the patent system. But it didn't.
So, I figured my little video would get a few people involved, but not go super nuclear.
If I had known that, I think I would have gone for an hour! :-)
Steve Spalding
· 2 years ago
Heh, fair enough.
Well then, I'm calling it a night. I still think it was a finely orchestrated return to the webosphere Robert, whether intentional or not. Malhalo, Facebook and Google in the same post -- might as well have thrown in the iPhone for good measure.
Good night and good luck.
meanguy
· 2 years ago
Ugh. The Wired blog piece is brutal. But it apparently doesn't need to be "balanced" (in a journalistic sense) any more than the BusinessWeek blogs need to be well-researched, either.
BusinessWeek blog == Wired blog == Valleywag these days.
Brett commenting above nails it on the head. The interviews you reference are only as interesting as the people you're talking to. And when the video is awkward (as these usually are) I'd rather it just be an honest awkward -- the subject himself addressing me.
Unless there's going to be a great interviewer and great production values (in the tradition of the best television talk shows) I prefer the raw form.
I can't make it through the PodTech shows but I found myself unable to turn away from the madness and the markers.
Paul Fabretti
· 2 years ago
Robert, I've got to agree with Hugh on this - why let it bother you? Does becoming a "webrity" (web-celebrity, geddit??!!) mean you are not allowed to have an opinion?
The only link bait is coming out of Wired. If everything was rosy in their garden they would be busy putting the stories out there. The fact that they are not speaks volumes.
Robert Scoble
· 2 years ago
meanguy: generally the nine shows I link to have good production values. Have you watched anything of mine recently? Doesn't sound like it.
hillary hartley
· 2 years ago
perhaps you should do a recap like this every month. you produce so much content -- link blog, twitter, twittergrams, videos, blog posts -- that it's hard to consume it all.
however, your short-and-sweet recaps just made me want to stay up another hour or two watching these vids. alas, i will go to bed, but i'm bookmarking this post!
dahowlett
· 2 years ago
Oh good - makes me a complete moron then. Heh ;)
Amit Morson
· 2 years ago
You don't need to justify yourself to those people. All they do is criticize other people's work.
Your reaction would be worthy only when someone counters your opinions with his own. Bashing someone's opinions without any argument is worthless drivel.
Joe Caruso
· 2 years ago
Robert,
You cannot please everyone, so don't kill yourself trying. What you're doing is going out on the limb with every video that you make. Most people don't have the courage to even voice their own opinions, especially in such a public way.
It's like playing improvised music. Sometimes there are magical moments that words cannot describe. Other times are certainly not so magical. But the point is, you keep playing. The people that mock you are showing their own shortcomings. :-)
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Gandhi
Tomi Itkonen
· 2 years ago
Your Sunday videos have generated very good and insightful counter-arguments. It would be good to address those.
Most of the people aren't against you - they are just against the theory you presented. No need to take it to a personal level.
And there's always an option to say that "Oops, I was wrong".
paul
· 2 years ago
Wired is a glossy Tabloid
Len Edgerly
· 2 years ago
Robert, I always feel guilty when I don't watch your interviews with people. I know I would learn a lot, but it feels like eating my broccoli because it's good for me, when what I really want is a juicy burger. Your Sunday videos were an Angus burger w/ cheese. I stumbled on them late via Twitter, and stayed up past when I should have been asleep. Why? Because you were obviously thinking out loud, excited about the thesis you were shaping, passionate, and real. Your guests, by comparison, know they are being interviewed by The Scoble, so they have all shades of caution and appropriate presentation. The aftermath of your videos makes me even more eager to watch the next time you step in it. I read all of Danny Sullivan's stuff, which you graciously linked to, and learned lots about the history of human search by following the people who were bashing you. So it's great. The one thing which worries me is the cost these dustups seem to be taking on your sunny disposition. If you're going to stay sane in the eye of the storms you create, you're going to have to be ruthless in going offline, like you did from the blog, hold a baby, do whatever it takes for your equanimity and optimism to return. You won't get there by going logo a logo with trolls.
Matt_
· 2 years ago
Its well known that Adario Strange is a profesional curmudgeon.
Dawn D.
· 2 years ago
Robert, IMO, the backlash you got had much more to do with you seeming to back Mahalo than you personally. Deservedly or not (I'm too new to all this to know), Jason C. is a lightning rod for criticism and scorn. From where I sit, as an observant outsider, Jason is like the character in a tv show that people love to hate. Anybody who seems to side with him is going to get zapped.
Len Edgerly
· 2 years ago
In #21, I should have written "logos a logos" for "word to word," as opposed to "mano a mano." Logo a logo sounds better, but this is not a case of dueling visual brands. Then again, maybe that's what your detractors are trying to lure you into, each for the benefit of his own logo.
Dan Guy
· 2 years ago
The Wired piece was on you, not on the more interesting people at whom you've pointed a camera. Complaining that they did a piece on you rather than on your pieces on others is as useless as complaining that a dog has too few USB ports.
AndyBeard
· 2 years ago
There are reasons that people don't link to things
The Pointit interview doesn't offer anything to my readers, they don't get involved in the "conversation" because as far as I know they don't have a blog.
p.s. I think both a comment and a trackback were filtered on previous posts by Akismet
searchengines
· 2 years ago
Would it be possible to have transcripts of all the top videos for those who have less of multimedia bias for consuming information.
Vic Berggren
· 2 years ago
#23
In this case Jason is only a lightning rod for criticism because he doesn't like SEO.
That rational kind of looks like the SEO crowd just gets overly emotional whenever someone has something to say about SEO that they don't agree with.
Robert make room in the kook camp buddy, I think your on to something.
Steven
· 2 years ago
Robert,
It seems like some of those online are not too much different than my local ( and by the way, national news) on tv! Same behavior, go for the sensational crap for attention and deliver the viewer to the ads.
Why sweat over what Wired thinks. For the most part, it's just a coffee table tech mag, anyway ;)
Matt
· 2 years ago
I wouldn't sweat it.
As far as the other videos they should have paid attention to, it's easier to write-up condemning articles then it is to actually spend the time to think about things and write real responses to them (would be my guess as to why they ignored them). I probably could have been more articulate in making my point, but I'm tired, so hopefully you get the idea.
Why discuss education when it's easier to give you grief about "x"? (/sarcasm)
Danny Sullivan
· 2 years ago
Seriously, Robert -- why didn't they link to your other videos? Sure, I'll take the bait and state the obvious.
The other videos weren't the news this week. The Wired article, like it or not, was about the video series you did on search and the ruckus it kicked up.
Your other videos deserved more attention? Hey, I haven't watched them -- but were any of them about how one of the most powerful earners on the web (Google) was going to get wiped out by a revolution?
The other videos weren't about the current story. The other videos, as you know well, have been pointed at when they are fresh news (and you drum up those links).
In addition, Wired did in fact acknowledge the work you have done in the lead, talking about your "tech analysis cred" you've earned through them. Sadly, for you, its assessment was that took a "nosedive" for talking about stuff in an unconvincing manner to those who know search more deeply than you. You know -- like me, who you yourself have said on several occasions is a top search expert.
You sparked a lot of discussion. You got people thinking. And I find it hard to believe you didn't expect this was going to happen. Crying now that not everyone agreed with what you said just doesn't cut it. And dropping a million video links in your defense that aren't on the topic doesn't help.
Oh, and that search marketing video? Really -- you want me to invest time watching a video with one single search marketer that tells me people click on ads, those clicks cost money and you can measure conversion? This is news? This is compelling video? Look -- go out, interview a lot of people and give me a comprehensive look on a subject that is told best through video, and you might get me. But that video "reads" like a billion other one-off interviews I've read over the year -- and read faster than it takes to watch a video.
MDB
· 2 years ago
If people aren't disagreeing with you then it means you are doing something wrong. The fact that people are, just means you are doing something new or something different. You are challenging people's ideas and the world needs more of that.
D. Lambert
· 2 years ago
I'm constantly amazed at the stupid stuff that ends up getting attention while lots more "deserving" material goes unnoticed. I get more links to a post about the PHB's etch-a-sketch laptop of Dilbert fame than posts about what's missing in developers' skillsets today.
Danny touched on a big part of it, I think. It's about controversy. Big, audacious, over-the-top, outrageous statements make better headlines, and they elicit reactions. Like the Batboy, you've just got to look when someone says Google is going down.
Sadly, meaningful material frequently doesn't have the punch that an off-the-cuff flame sometimes does.
But it's attention, right? And you've got a platform that you can use to promote your "good" stuff, right?
It could be worse.
charlesfrith
· 2 years ago
Ease up. I only ever use Mr. Scoble's views as an opinion. A valued one but not a digital tech deity.
andyfox1979
· 2 years ago
i usually say that scoble is a jerk,and i've also said that Mahalo sucks, but you know after seeing this video there really is something to it. It does have a personal touch that Google has never had and never will have. I sorta like that. I think the key thing is that good SEO costs money, and it always will, whether its paying google or paying mahalo or any other goddmaned company.
Greg
· 2 years ago
Ignore them, they are idiots...
something2chewon
· 2 years ago
All this sounds like child birth, lots of pain, crying but joy in the end.
If sites don't link to your videos, I wonder if that is not an indicator of the quality of the work? Don't people generally link to things they find interesting?
Toivo Lainevool
· 2 years ago
I think this video got the hype because this is the area that people are paying attention to. Where is search going - where is the attention going to end up.
You said a lot of things that were controversial and kid of out there, but it struck a chord because that's what people care about. Who is going to be the next Google? What is search going to look like in four years? Nobody knows, but you stuck you neck out there and took a guess. Will it be right? i don't think so. But at least it got us talking about it. If I really want to know about the future of search I'll listen to John Battelle. If I want to get some more crazy ideas, I'll listen to you again. And that's a compliment, by the way.
Mad props, and it was great chatting on kyle last night. (I think this is the longest comment i have ever made on a blog.)
Robert Scoble
· 2 years ago
Michael: lots of people watch, or are interested in, Paris Hilton. Does that make her work "quality?"
Michael
· 2 years ago
@44 I have no doubt a lot of people watch. But it seems the issue you raised is that people don't link to them. Isn't there a difference? I can watch a movie, think it's bad and consequently tell my friends not to bother. Sort of like not linking to it. Anyway, I find your videos interesting, but apparently some at Wired do not. Not a big deal.
I think your Paris Hilton example is kind of off the mark. People like to watch train wrecks. And no one expects Paris Hilton to offer them anything of substance. She's meeting people's expectations. I think people expect, and more often than not, get substance from you. I just think your volume of links would be some type of indicator. I could be wrong.
meechwings
· 2 years ago
Wow, you're really taking this criticism hard.
Hängematten
· 1 year ago
Thanks for very interesting article. btw. I really enjoyed reading all of your posts. It’s interesting to read ideas, and observations from someone else’s point of view… makes you think more. Greetings
All Comments
Idiot or not - it got people thinking.
"Before a brilliant person begins something great, they must look foolish to the crowd."
IMHO (and only mine) great ideas come out of these kind of random mind dumps (or "rants") - often long before it becomes clear to the greater audience.
I follow a lot of your stuff, videos are especially good so if you have a feeling something is worth saying, then there is likely a good reason for us to take some notice.
I read "Blink" where people spontaneously start clapping in an audience completely unaware they have done it in respone to an original "clapper" near them in the audience. Good read for all i'd say.
Honestly, and I am being serious here, I just have a hard time believing that someone as clever as you did not know he was opening up a powder keg with that post. I really, really do. You don't need to justify yourself to anyone but come now, the old innocent shtick is a bit much.
I respect the conversation you started. I always feel sorry when the winds of the blogosphere turn against someone who is trying to voice an opinion, but all of this notwithstanding, when you make an argument like you did -- it's hard not to expect some kind of reaction (positive and negative).
So, I figured my little video would get a few people involved, but not go super nuclear.
If I had known that, I think I would have gone for an hour! :-)
Well then, I'm calling it a night. I still think it was a finely orchestrated return to the webosphere Robert, whether intentional or not. Malhalo, Facebook and Google in the same post -- might as well have thrown in the iPhone for good measure.
Good night and good luck.
BusinessWeek blog == Wired blog == Valleywag these days.
Brett commenting above nails it on the head. The interviews you reference are only as interesting as the people you're talking to. And when the video is awkward (as these usually are) I'd rather it just be an honest awkward -- the subject himself addressing me.
Unless there's going to be a great interviewer and great production values (in the tradition of the best television talk shows) I prefer the raw form.
I can't make it through the PodTech shows but I found myself unable to turn away from the madness and the markers.
The only link bait is coming out of Wired. If everything was rosy in their garden they would be busy putting the stories out there. The fact that they are not speaks volumes.
however, your short-and-sweet recaps just made me want to stay up another hour or two watching these vids. alas, i will go to bed, but i'm bookmarking this post!
Your reaction would be worthy only when someone counters your opinions with his own. Bashing someone's opinions without any argument is worthless drivel.
You cannot please everyone, so don't kill yourself trying.
What you're doing is going out on the limb with every video that you make. Most people don't have the courage to even voice their own opinions, especially in such a public way.
It's like playing improvised music. Sometimes there are magical moments that words cannot describe. Other times are certainly not so magical. But the point is, you keep playing. The people that mock you are showing their own shortcomings. :-)
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Gandhi
Most of the people aren't against you - they are just against the theory you presented. No need to take it to a personal level.
And there's always an option to say that "Oops, I was wrong".
The aftermath of your videos makes me even more eager to watch the next time you step in it. I read all of Danny Sullivan's stuff, which you graciously linked to, and learned lots about the history of human search by following the people who were bashing you. So it's great.
The one thing which worries me is the cost these dustups seem to be taking on your sunny disposition. If you're going to stay sane in the eye of the storms you create, you're going to have to be ruthless in going offline, like you did from the blog, hold a baby, do whatever it takes for your equanimity and optimism to return. You won't get there by going logo a logo with trolls.
The Pointit interview doesn't offer anything to my readers, they don't get involved in the "conversation" because as far as I know they don't have a blog.
p.s. I think both a comment and a trackback were filtered on previous posts by Akismet
In this case Jason is only a lightning rod for criticism because he doesn't like SEO.
That rational kind of looks like the SEO crowd just gets overly emotional whenever someone has something to say about SEO that they don't agree with.
Robert make room in the kook camp buddy, I think your on to something.
It seems like some of those online are not too much different than my local ( and by the way, national news) on tv! Same behavior, go for the sensational crap for attention and deliver the viewer to the ads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6kpH-ZUgJk
As far as the other videos they should have paid attention to, it's easier to write-up condemning articles then it is to actually spend the time to think about things and write real responses to them (would be my guess as to why they ignored them). I probably could have been more articulate in making my point, but I'm tired, so hopefully you get the idea.
Why discuss education when it's easier to give you grief about "x"? (/sarcasm)
The other videos weren't the news this week. The Wired article, like it or not, was about the video series you did on search and the ruckus it kicked up.
Your other videos deserved more attention? Hey, I haven't watched them -- but were any of them about how one of the most powerful earners on the web (Google) was going to get wiped out by a revolution?
The other videos weren't about the current story. The other videos, as you know well, have been pointed at when they are fresh news (and you drum up those links).
In addition, Wired did in fact acknowledge the work you have done in the lead, talking about your "tech analysis cred" you've earned through them. Sadly, for you, its assessment was that took a "nosedive" for talking about stuff in an unconvincing manner to those who know search more deeply than you. You know -- like me, who you yourself have said on several occasions is a top search expert.
You sparked a lot of discussion. You got people thinking. And I find it hard to believe you didn't expect this was going to happen. Crying now that not everyone agreed with what you said just doesn't cut it. And dropping a million video links in your defense that aren't on the topic doesn't help.
Oh, and that search marketing video? Really -- you want me to invest time watching a video with one single search marketer that tells me people click on ads, those clicks cost money and you can measure conversion? This is news? This is compelling video? Look -- go out, interview a lot of people and give me a comprehensive look on a subject that is told best through video, and you might get me. But that video "reads" like a billion other one-off interviews I've read over the year -- and read faster than it takes to watch a video.
Danny touched on a big part of it, I think. It's about controversy. Big, audacious, over-the-top, outrageous statements make better headlines, and they elicit reactions. Like the Batboy, you've just got to look when someone says Google is going down.
Sadly, meaningful material frequently doesn't have the punch that an off-the-cuff flame sometimes does.
But it's attention, right? And you've got a platform that you can use to promote your "good" stuff, right?
It could be worse.
Congrats Scoble....................perspective, enjoy.
Greg
You said a lot of things that were controversial and kid of out there, but it struck a chord because that's what people care about. Who is going to be the next Google? What is search going to look like in four years? Nobody knows, but you stuck you neck out there and took a guess. Will it be right? i don't think so. But at least it got us talking about it. If I really want to know about the future of search I'll listen to John Battelle. If I want to get some more crazy ideas, I'll listen to you again. And that's a compliment, by the way.
Mad props, and it was great chatting on kyle last night. (I think this is the longest comment i have ever made on a blog.)
I think your Paris Hilton example is kind of off the mark. People like to watch train wrecks. And no one expects Paris Hilton to offer them anything of substance. She's meeting people's expectations. I think people expect, and more often than not, get substance from you. I just think your volume of links would be some type of indicator. I could be wrong.