A quote on the network effect of blogs, in relation to how blogs beat Big Media at CBS, from Frederick Turner:

Instapundit was getting over 400,000 page views a day at the height of the controversy; if one multiplies that by the number of other major blogs, the days the storm raged, and the amplification of word of mouth and talk radio, one is talking about near-total penetration of the US population...

What we saw was an extraordinary example of what chaos and complexity theorists call spontaneous self-organization. Out of a highly communicative but apparently chaotic medium an ordered, sensitively responsive, but robust order emerges, acting as an organism of its own. Suddenly a perfectly-matched team of specialists had self-assembled out of the ether.

Those specialists and enthusiasts are already out there, and they are growing by thousands each day. What that means for CBS and Big Media is bad news: There is a huge network of informed members of the public who will not take their reports as gospel - and whose network is powerful enough to bring the truth to the rest of the world's attention. It's no wonder that some mainstream journalists do not welcome that network with open arms; it means more work for them.

What that means for businesses is much better news: The blogosphere, that network of blogs at 4 million+ and 15,000 new ones each day (source: Technorati.com), does not consist of just political blogs or just kitty blogs or just food blogs or just travel blogs or just fashion blogs or just wine blogs or just car blogs or just shopping blogs or just makeup blogs. The blogosphere contains all of those sorts of blogs and bloggers, and much more besides - some of it so obscure that one is forced to wonder, Who writes this stuff? More to the point, who reads it? Frankly, that thought crossed my mind when I saw the air conditioning contractors' blog.

Who reads and writes that stuff? People who are into those kinds of things. I run my own multi-contributor food blog as a hobby - with food journos, authors, professional chefs and amateur home cooks alike writing for it - of which most people can see the appeal. But when I reveal that I also write for a transport blog, I get some funny looks. Who cares about cars and trains and stuff?, I can see them thinking. (Also, possibly: Man, what a geek she is.) But there are plenty of companies who want to be talking to people who are into cars and trains - like, say, automobile companies and train operators. As I have said before:

Within the wider network, within the wider blogosphere, there is a more specific (though not wholly identifiable) network, a more niche curve in the blogosphere, where your company should probably be engaged.

If the Dan Rather affair doesn't demonstrate how quickly the blogosphere can spread a message, nothing does. I wonder what the business case might be for not tapping into that network to spread your message? Damned if I can think of one.

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