“Location Location Location” that is the old saying you used to hear about real estate, setting up a business, owning a restaurant and just about everything else. This mantra even migrated to the web during the dot com boom when everybody needed to have an easy to remember domain name.
In today’s world participation is the new location. You no longer need to have the best real estate, whether virtual or brick and mortar, to have a successful business. What you do need is the ability to participate. Whether you are participating at your own site or at another community site, your voice is becoming an essential piece of your companies success. It is no longer simply about throwing up a static website – you need to be a person proactively participating with your current and potential audience.
Domain names with generic terms and type in traffic are not performing like they used to. Advanced linking algorithms take into account the old ways of “cheating” the system and content and activity are playing a larger role. The other great part about this movement is that participation breeds more participation. I cannot tell you how many times I have written a post, that once it gets one comment many will follow. Many posts have either zero comments or multiple conversation threads.
This is happening in the form of content aggregation but also comment aggregation. These services also promote your participation by having a unique login that works across multiple sites. I have found that when I am on a blog or other site that already has me logged in I am more likely to comment – and I am not alone.
The underlying architecture and glue that is keeping the web moving is the conversations that start to occur once someone has sparked the meme on their blog, comment, or micro-blog location. What follows is certainly a new sum of its parts. Links from Twitter, images from Flickr, new thoughts on Friendfeed, and many other services are all weaving the participation web.
All this can be summarized in perpetuating your own personal brand and reputation via these services. You can no longer stand on your own (blog) podium and expect others to show up – you have to get out there and be heard. Your brand is now the sum of its parts which extend well beyond your storefront or domain.
/rant
August 20th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Eric,
Great post. I was thinking about this all of last week. Since “Your brand is now the sum of its parts which extend well beyond your storefront or domain”, I believe a company or service that can effectively aggregate your web presence, will be a game changer. Disqus does the best job of the services I've seen, so congrats to you guys at Union Square.
Dan
August 20th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I was using the Disqus system before joining USV and can honestly say that I
think its great. Seeing this service active within a blog post encourages
me to contribute simply because I do not have to login to another system or
verify another identity.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Eric,
Great post. I was thinking about this all of last week. Since “Your brand is now the sum of its parts which extend well beyond your storefront or domain”, I believe a company or service that can effectively aggregate your web presence, will be a game changer. Disqus does the best job of the services I've seen, so congrats to you guys at Union Square.
Dan
August 20th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I was using the Disqus system before joining USV and can honestly say that I
think its great. Seeing this service active within a blog post encourages
me to contribute simply because I do not have to login to another system or
verify another identity.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
This is a fantastic post. I'm stealing from it for a meeting tomorrow right after I comment. Okay, here it goes. Apple + C…
August 20th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Nice Seth
August 20th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
This is a fantastic post. I'm stealing from it for a meeting tomorrow right after I comment. Okay, here it goes. Apple + C…
August 20th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Nice Seth
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I was raised with a father who is a 'real estate evangelist' and I bleed location! Now that I do web stuff this post really hits home. Solid post and I'll definitely be following your stuff!
Check my stuff at http://ryanagraves.com
Also, I'd love to chat with you sometime about your work at USV and what it is like to be young and in VC. Hope to chat soon!
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Will do. Thanks for coming by.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I was raised with a father who is a 'real estate evangelist' and I bleed location! Now that I do web stuff this post really hits home. Solid post and I'll definitely be following your stuff!
Check my stuff at http://ryanagraves.com
Also, I'd love to chat with you sometime about your work at USV and what it is like to be young and in VC. Hope to chat soon!
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Will do. Thanks for coming by.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Especially for younger consumers, participation is the new consumption. For these creatives, status comes from finding an appreciative audience (in much the same way as brands operate).
January 7th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Especially for younger consumers, participation is the new consumption. For these creatives, status comes from finding an appreciative audience (in much the same way as brands operate).
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:44 am
nice article! nice site. you're in my rss feed now
keep it up
March 18th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
I think participation Works, a consortium of six national children’s charities has announced the launch of their new redesigned website; the Participation Works Gateway, http://www.participationworks.org.uk which will play a key role in supporting practitioners working with children and young people. Participation Works enable organisations to effectively involve children and young people in the development, delivery and evaluation of services that affect their lives.
July 11th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Unfortunately, real estate sales seem to be stagnate all over the world these days. It sounds like there may be an increase in sales for real estate agents over there, I am sure that will be very welcome after what many agents have been through.
September 1st, 2009 at 6:19 am
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September 8th, 2009 at 12:10 am
In any kind of business, location is really important.. The location must suit on your business.. A good location must have the needs of your business.. It is also important to advertise and market your business especially in real estate.. Nowadays they use social media as a tool in online marketing..
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Thanks for the great post. It reminds me that I have to bring more structure in to my blogging. Your blog is very interesting. Please let me know how to go for your rss blog.
regards
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