Personal Publishing
I saw a blog post recently that listed 65 "VC blogs". It included this blog. And I am sure that many people think of this blog as a VC blog.
But it is not a VC blog. It is a Fred Wilson blog. Sure I write about VC, because that’s what I do for a living (and for fun too). But it’s also about other stuff that I find interesting.
Don’t get me wrong. I am sure that the vast majority of my readers are entrepreneurs or others who are interested in the VC point of view. And I think that advertisers who want to reach that audience should find this blog to be an attractive place to advertise.
I read an article called The Future of Email this morning that included this quote from Paul Gillin:
"We hear a lot about blogs, but blogs aren’t important. What’s
important is personal publishing, or the ability to communicate a
message to a global audience almost instantaneously. Personal
publishing will permeate electronic media, providing counterpoint to
mainstream sources and adding depth and color to the conversation.
Personal publishing is by definition personal. It’s by people. Meaning it isn’t edited, scripted, couched, qualified, or programmed. I am sure there are many blogs that are edited, scripted, couched, qualified, and programmed.
But I don’t read them. I want "depth and color added to the conversation."
I like reading what other people write in the comfort of their own pages. If they are writing about VC, great. If they are writing about music, great. If they are writing that their best friend died, that’s fine too. As long as it’s personal, real, and authentic. If I want the other kind of writing, I can turn to the New York TImes or the Wall Street Journal.