Lovelorn Autoblog

Jason must be feeling unloved today. He pinged both me and Jeff asking why we hadn’t blogged his new AutoBlog.

So here’s my take.

1 – It’s the best looking blog on Weblogs Inc. so far. I am not a big fan of the look and feel of Weblogs Inc’s blogs. They feel very bland to me. If its a commercial publishing venture, then give me some warmth and feel. Autoblog does that the best so far. But I could use more.

2 – I don’t give a shit about cars. They don’t interest me in the least. I’m a New Yorker. Give me subway blog and I’ll add it to me feed reader. I own two cars but could care less about them as long as they don’t break down.

3 – Where is the advertising? Car enthusiasts and in-market car buyers are two of the most attractive segments in online advertising. Let’s see some ads!

4 – I am not sure I get where Jason is going with Weblogs Inc. I thought it was a trade publishing model with a focus on tech and startups. But now he’s got Engadget, AutoBlog, and BlogMaverick which are more consumer focused. It may be that he’s putting up a lot and seeing what sticks. That’s not a bad model early in a market. But I think he’s eventually got to pick a target market and focus on it.

Bottom line – Autoblog is a nice blog. I bet it will build a good audience. I am rooting for Jason and everyone else who is trying to turn blogs into a business. Jason is smart, scrappy, hungry, bold, brave, and agressive. He’ll figure it out.

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