Disqus - Latest Comments for Mark Dykeman

Re: Pro Blogger - The Paris Hilton of Blogging

Mark Dykeman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:19:17 -0000

Disclosure: I'm a Problogger.net and Darren Rowse fan, so this will probably color anything I write.

I haven't read the entire book, but I still plan to at some point. I have read the free introductory chapter and found the anecdotal stuff a bit interesting.

At best I expect that it's an introduction to professional blogging concepts. For the price they are charging, I would not expect them to give away the farm, particularly given their involvement with other products and programs.

Having said that, I'll certainly keep your thoughts in mind when I do read the book.

Re: Quality Content or Bullshit?

Mark Dykeman — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:27:39 -0000

Don't underestimate the power of common sense. Also, perhaps you should keep in mind that a number of those points were describing the use of StumbleUpon to help promote your blog.

It is pretty basic stuff, though.

Re: http://www.andydesoto.com/commentary/falling-short-of-true-content-creation/

Mark Dykeman — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:25:06 -0000

I think there's something that the newer media can do to add some spark, but I don't think that words alone are at their end either.

Re: Netflix comes to the Xbox 360. Did Microsoft just destroy the Apple TV?

parislemon — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:59:11 -0000

As of right now sadly, yes.

Re: Netflix comes to the Xbox 360. Did Microsoft just destroy the Apple TV?

Mark Dykeman — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:53:55 -0000

MG, is this deal US only?

Re: Scoble is Wrong About Blog Comments Being Dead

Mark Dykeman — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:35:04 -0000

Easier to say completely dead than 2/3 dead, might remind one of a zombie. ;)

Re: Scoble is Wrong About Blog Comments Being Dead

Mark Dykeman — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:26 -0000

The value of Robert's post, if any, was merely to provoke discussion. I'd say he conducted a little experiment on everyone to see what we'd say.

Clever guy. Who knows what he really thinks?

Re: Friday’s Food for the Soul, Shel Israel, Loren Feldman, and Knowing When to Stop

Mark Dykeman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:15:19 -0000

I think they should bury the hatchet and use their platform to raise money for a worthy charity.

Re: Life as a Pro Blogger

Mark Dykeman — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:43:33 -0000

Maybe it would be easier to explain that you're a professional writer/e-business guy than a blogger. Very similar.

Re: Pay for a blog feed? Not going to happen

mathewi — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:05:01 -0000

No Mark, I don't feel "locked in" to a blog. There are lots of other ways I
could promote myself, some of which might be even more effective. But I
think blogging is one of the easiest, cheapest and most rewarding methods,
and I really enjoy doing it. In fact, I do it as much for my own purposes
-- as a way of thinking things through and drawing comment from others -- as
I do for any other reason.

Re: Pay for a blog feed? Not going to happen

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:43:49 -0000

Blog feeds are a commodity that happen to have a retail price of $0.00.

It seems like Allen Stern is looking for something with the ease and convenience of an RSS feed that people would be willing to pay for. Thing is, and I mean no disrespect to you, Mathew, but as you've indicated above, the value proposition might not be there for someone to pay for blog content on a subscription basis. Your blog does serve to:

a) provide you with a continual online presence
b) draw people's attention to things that you find interesting
c) provide some education
d) provide you with a promotional platform, if you choose to use it that way

Rex Hammock says it quite eloquently, doesn't he?

Matthew, a question: do you feel like you are "locked in" to blogging? In other words, do you feel that giving up a blog would actually hurt you as a professional and, to be blunt, as a product?

Another piece of data in my ongoing quest to come up with a new model to monetize content. I'm really enjoying your writing.

Re: Media: Still grasping for a clue

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:53:46 -0000

I understand the desire to protect one's content, but in the relatively open environment of the Web and the blogosphere, trying to control inbound linking is far more trouble than it is worth. I think there is far more value to Business Week in permitting the link to expose their brand, plus bolster their reputation a bit by seeing some gratitude from the interviewee. But I'm not a professional media guy, so what do I know?

In fairness, I would be willing to allow that Business Week hasn't reviewed that old user agreement in years and their management might not realize how it doesn't fit in the current Web environment. However, it's certainly in their best interest to dust it off, take a good look at the publishing industry, and consider some radical changes.

Re: Richard Branson Wants To Send You Into Space

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:39:54 -0000

I get the point. I'd want to make sure that SpaceShipTwo worked....

Re: Light Bulbs, Cell Phones And Utility

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:37:18 -0000

Excellent point, Steve. This brings to mind the example of the remote control with more buttons than an octopus could operate.

Re: Digg: A social media Petri dish

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:37:57 -0000

Mathew, my belief is that the algorithm change was just part of the problem. The lack of feedback from Digg about user bannings, the lack of feedback from Digg management and support in general, the unusual bury activity AND the unannounced algorithm change were all contributing factors.

I've had some minor interaction with three of the four top Diggers who were part of the protest letter and they seem like decent people. I think they got frustrated because, once again, the rules were changed without warning, adding another log on the fire of frustration. After all, they're just people like the rest of us - they want to be heard when they have a complaint.

Re: Last.fm tries the subscription model

Mark Dykeman — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:10:49 -0000

Not only is Last.fm paying the labels for the rights to use the music, they're also paying the artists a share of the ad revenues, DIRECTLY.

Maybe they have a sweet ad deal to afford this. I suppose it's worth a try, but the only thing that this does is make limited streaming legit and I'm not sure how you could legally get the music to your iPod. On the other hand, I do believe that Last.fm is oriented towards someone using a laptop or PC, which should make the iPod unnecessary for this model.

It's also OK if you don't have any favorite songs.

Re: Prince Charle’s Ghost Attends Energy Summit

Mark Dykeman — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:44:20 -0000

I don't know whether to laugh or applaud.

Re: Alternate Reality Games Hit The Mainstream

sbspalding — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:02:02 -0000

Yes, I am pretty sure that ranks among them.

Re: Alternate Reality Games Hit The Mainstream

Mark Dykeman — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:06:58 -0000

Would the Lost Experience count as ARG?

Re: How To Build Community

Mark Dykeman — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:39:38 -0000

" People don’t like starting conversations with walls."

Brilliant! Exactly right!

Re: A Case For Blogging

Mark Dykeman — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:57:03 -0000

I see my blog more like opinion, commentary, or a syndicated column. I try to use good writing standards, but I really don't consider myself to be a journalist.

Re: A Few Words On Information Overload

sbspalding — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:32:45 -0000

I find pen and paper are the best way to organize my thoughts, bits and bytes are the best way to archive them.

Re: Is User Generated Content Fair?

Mark Dykeman — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:14:15 -0000

Wow, this is a tough one. I've seen another excellent post or two that really tears in to this topic.

Thing is, sites like Huffington and others make no bones about the fact that they don't pay, so you can't blame them for enforcing their own rules. YouTube, I'd say, is being smart in trying to share the riches, but in a sense they are changing the rules mid-stream and there are consequences for doing that.

In the end, it remains to be seen whether Hufffington will suffer from not paying writers or not.

Re: A Few Words On Information Overload

Mark Dykeman — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:06:16 -0000

Short and sweet. Good post.

I love pen and paper myself, even if it means retyping.

Re: The creative process (Scripting News)

Mark Dykeman — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:02:45 -0000

Nice concise way to describe the creative process. I'm curious: are you working alone or in a group? Your description makes me think this is a solo project.