It can be hard to predict where the world of new media is heading. The only obvious thing is that it is here to stay. The panelists for this keynote were Lisa Stone of Blogher, Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner, and Deanna Brown of Federated Media. They were moderated by Mitch Joel, the President of Twist Image.
The question on the floor this morning was “where do blogs fit into the world of media and how can they maximize their influence?” Over the past few years the media world has become much more fragmented and although media empires do still exist, the tide is shifting. The panelists all agreed that the blogosphere has the ability to influence advertisers and brands that up until now may have steered clear of it. Each of them brought a unique perspective to the table, however.
Lisa made the point that when bloggers come together and build relationships within a network, like Blogher, they gain incredible power to influence advertisers and larger media outlets. Michael, having established a presence in the world of new media with his magazine, also added that although large media empires are on the way out there will be an influx of smaller media companies serving their niches. He went on to explain that advertising is not the only way to monetize a blog. In fact, the Social Media Examiner does not have ads on their site. Instead they make their revenue from the events they throw. The biggest takeaway from this keynote, however, was that blogging is really just a form of publishing, and if you call yourself a blogger then you should also consider yourself a publisher. As Deanne noted, this is huge because it redefines and legitimizes what bloggers do, allowing them to move beyond the walls of just “blogging”.
If you would like to watch this session or any other session you may do so at Blog World Expo
