I agree. It's not a bad thing to see posts for other networking sites, but your questions, Eric, were even more helpful.
Alicia On May 5, 2009, at 8:41 AM, Linda G wrote: > > Eric, I didn't mind seeing Kristen's post, but I'm glad you checked > out the site and also posted your comments. Since I'm not particularly > web savvy, esp. in the technical end, this was very useful info. > Personally, I've found that blogging can chew up incredible amounts of > time which is better spent actually writing, so the fewer sites I have > to manage, the better. > > Linda > On May 4, 1:53 pm, Eric Scoles <[email protected]> wrote: >> Kristen -- >> >> Before I get into anything else, I suggest you ask your web team to >> fix your >> secure certificates, which are not working correctly, at least for >> non-Microsoft user agents. (Most Firefox-using authors simply won't >> be able >> to file their claims. Safari users will be able to, but will get >> alarming >> messages during the process.) >> >> Whether this solicitation is appropriate use of this forum I'll >> leave for >> others. I think it raises a fascinating subject and I'm about to go >> off on >> that, but please, folks, don't let that deter you from offering >> your opinion >> on whether the message was appropriate for the group. (I kind of >> think it's >> OK, but I don't really have a strong opinion on that.) >> >> This is basically what us Intartubes marketing types call a "land >> grab": Get >> control of a big virtual space (by creating it, if you can, or just >> by >> providing radically better access to it -- or a combination of the >> two, as >> in this case), then "invite" everyone to play in the sandbox in the >> hope >> that if enough of them come, it will become popular enough that >> everyone >> will go there. (To paraphrase The Yogi.) >> >> Eventually, if FiledBy's business plan will out, the "author sites" >> become >> sufficient link-bait that it's against an author's interest to not >> "claim" >> them (which adds link juice to FiledBy's URLs). If I were a better >> scholar >> of the SF canon, I believe I could probably cite a half dozen >> similar plots >> from major writers. (Simak? Kornbluth? Pohl? Tiptree?) >> >> I have mixed feelings about this kind of thing. On the one hand, >> FiledBy are >> arguably not taking bread from anyone's mouth. (Arguably. See >> below.) Your >> own case would probably be that you're providing opportunities for >> sales and >> "social networking" to writers. While leaving out the benefit that >> accrues >> to your company from the association -- it confuses the pitch, >> after all. >> >> Which pitch is a little deceptive, let's be honest: "with over 1.8 >> million >> author sites" really means "we got a data dump from Books In Print >> and >> created a record corresponding to each listed author." >> >> It's certainly true that writers can benefit from social >> networking, and >> there's a litkelihood that FiledBy can make some $$ off it through >> various >> means (affiliate sales, advertising, additional paid services TBD). >> But the >> pitch makes me think about *Who's Who* books: "You're in this! You >> should >> buy it!" And also yellow page ads, which have traditionally been >> sold with >> some variation on a theme of "everyone's getting this, you HAVE to >> be in >> it." >> >> Part of me looks at this and sees a smart play: It's snappy (that's >> some >> good infrastructure, especially in view of the fact that you seem >> to be >> using Microsoft products to drive it -- no mean feat to get those >> to perform >> well in a large scale web app!); you've got a sharing widget for >> every major >> "social bookmarking" service (and a few that aren't major yet); and >> it looks >> like you're using some pretty comprehensive stealth marketing >> strategies to >> activate Word Of Mouth channels. >> >> (aside: I'm a little troubled by the use of the Vanderbilt.edu >> address. It >> smacks of stealthing. More up-front would be to use a corporate >> address, if >> you're in fact an employee of FiledByAuthor.) >> >> On the other hand, part of me looks at this and says, "why should >> anyone let >> themselves be bandwagoned into this?" Because as much as it hits >> all the >> buttons it can, an author's real best strategy would include >> FiledBy.com >> only as a dotted-'i' in one of the last lines of the business plan. >> Facebook, Amazon author-blogging and a decent personal blog & >> website at a >> domain name owned by and associated with the author >> (likehttp://nancykress.blogspot.com/orhttp://planetlactose.com) >> are really far >> more important steps. This kind of thing distracts writers from more >> important steps they could be taking. >> >> And if the effort is well-executed, and you get all the author >> participation >> you'd like, it actually fights more on-target, content-rich self- >> marketing >> venues like blogs. If FiledBy becomse as big a success as you hope >> it will, >> authors will waste time blogging on a "wall" in space you own, >> getting >> minimal social networking capital benefit and sacrificing ownership >> of their >> own blog posts. >> >> (See:http://www.filedby.com/service/terms_of_service.aspx >> ) >> >> So, yeah, I realize this is long, but my suggestion to authors is >> that once >> they "claim" their "site" (i.e., convince FiledBy that they are >> THAT Craig >> DeLancey, Steve Carper or Nancy Kress -- which they should do, out >> of simple >> self-protection), they should post nothing at all to the >> FiledBy.com "site" >> except a link to the place they REALLY want people to go. (And make >> sure >> that they have affiliate purchase links to all the major online >> retailers on >> their own site....) >> >> >> >> On Mon, May 4, 2009 at 11:49 AM, KB <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Hi, my name is Kristen and I’m with a new company called FiledBy, >>> Inc. >>> We have a website that you guys might be interested in: >>> http://www.filedby.com/. >>> Here writers and readers can set up their own web page and interact. >> >>> FiledBy launched in March 2009 with over 1.8 million author sites. >>> The >>> FiledBy platform enables authors, co-authors, illustrators, >>> photographers, editors and other contributors to easily build an >>> online community where they can promote their work and interact with >>> fans and peers. Authors can register, claim their site, and start >>> updating and enhancing their content. Readers can join as well and >>> discover authors, buy books, write reviews, join groups and create a >>> bookshelf on their personal page. I hope you have time to check us >>> out! >> >>> Best of Luck, >>> KB >> >> -- >> eric scoles ([email protected]) > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Association" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/r-spec?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
