UlasanAnime.com – This article delves into the significant impact of seemingly minor choices, particularly within the context of online communities and content creation, using the example of an anime blog tournament.
The author discusses the necessity of a robust reader base for a thriving blog scene, emphasizing that information dissemination goes beyond simple links and analytics. To illustrate, they describe how a reader might discover a new blog through indirect means, such as a link from another blog or a social media mention. This highlights the role of intermediaries in expanding a blog’s reach.
For a blog to achieve a network effect, it must either attract a large readership or cultivate readers who are active networkers themselves. Many bloggers are also avid readers of other blogs, constantly seeking new material and engaging in cross-posting. However, the author notes the difficulty of this sustained effort, particularly within the anime blogging community, which they find challenging to engage with extensively.
Events like AnimeNano or the Aniblog tournament are seen as valuable tools for smaller blogs to gain visibility. They offer a curated experience, effectively acting as a bridge for blogs that might otherwise go unnoticed. The author admits to rarely linking to other anime blogs, finding it an unusual aspect of the community.
A critique is raised that the Aniblog tournament might devolve into a “circle-jerking” exercise. This stems from the natural inclination for popular blogs with established networks to perform better, turning it into a popularity contest. Blogs with fewer readers often rely heavily on their own networking efforts, making them more invested in such tournaments. The author argues that when a blog makes a significant PR move and links to others, it is essentially just networking.
To optimize the tournament’s effectiveness, the author suggests moving away from a single-elimination format. Instead, they propose pitting every blog against the top two or four most-read blogs. This approach, they believe, would reduce the perceived “circle-jerkiness” and allow readers to discover a wider array of content. It would also prevent scenarios where highly popular blogs are only pitted against other well-read blogs, thus minimizing the impact of their participation.
The author further explains that a shift away from single-elimination would reduce the appearance of insularity. By framing it as a popularity-driven game, the tournament attracts existing bloggers and networkers rather than those who stand to benefit most from networking. Unlike a widely appealing game, it fails to engage the broader public unless it involves the most popular sites. Constant engagement from all participants is suggested as a way to mitigate the “circle-jerk” perception. While the elimination format adds entertainment, the author laments that this meta-focus on blog popularity, rather than engaging content, is detrimental to anime blogging. They express a preference for blogs that offer amusing anime-related content over meta-discussions about blog popularity, viewing the current tournament structure, with its “seeding” and byes for better-read blogs, as a step backward.
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The article then shifts to discuss Amazon’s monopsony power, referencing a specific article on Charlie’s blog. The author posits that Japanese publishing, much like its American counterpart, is ripe for disruption. They question who will be the disruptor and note Amazon’s ongoing discussions with Japan, set against the backdrop of a DOJ suit concerning agency, wholesale models, and profit sharing.
A key concern is whether Amazon will repeat the mistakes made by American publishers regarding Digital Rights Management (DRM). The author finds it psychologically improbable that Japanese publishers would abandon DRM. This raises the question of whether Japanese publishing will face a similar fate to American publishing. The author also mentions Apple’s challenges in the Japanese market due to its censorship policies, suggesting a battle between “walled gardens” for dominance.
As a side note, the author believes Amazon’s devices could perform well in Japan, citing their success in the US and Europe and their attractive pricing, especially for a country known for its frugality.
The author expresses appreciation for the article on Amazon’s strategy, particularly its exploration of DRM’s double-edged nature and the irony involved.
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Finally, the article briefly mentions Nippon Columbia’s paid streaming music service, FaRao. The author describes it as a potentially excellent service, but expresses frustration with its current usability. Specifically, the app crashes every time they attempt to create an account. A flash-based web UI is reportedly planned for release in the near future.
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