life as a media product - the economics of diaries

One reason people write blogs is fame/fortune (usually more of the former with vague hopes of the latter) another reason is personal expression. Some times these two are mixed, but usually one predominates. Putting ads on the former type of blog views readers as consumers - a relatively familiar transaction. With the latter type - personal journal style blogs - they are often hosted by commercial providers who make money on advertising.

I hadn’t really considered the economic angle of personal journal blogs because I’d failed to look at them from the perspective of the hosting companies. Looking back over my notes, someone at the Hyperlinked Society conference said that the lives of those who use such services are media products. This makes it more clear why Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace. Who would have though that commodifying diaries would be big business? Apparently it’s not terribly profitable at this point, but it’s an interesting perspective - quite different from that of the authors of these journals I’m sure.