Jumping the Long Tail
by Vijay Anand
In an ideal world, just about anyone can create. But is that really an ideal world?
About two years ago, while blogs were being touted as the biggest thing to ever hit the planet, apart from all those mystery meteors in the sci-fi movies, what was interesting was to note the number of readers that blogs usually have. Its perhaps the reason why I never took too much interest in this blog – as I created it as a corner for my own thoughts than to make a living out of it. That made a difference.
In the world of unlimited creativity, the problem is the matching up with the respective constraints. Take the matter of politicians, Blogs, Television Shows, a New Product, Opinions and Perspectives All of them – if they are in a democratic context – dont have an entry barrrier to come into this world. But once they do, they need to fight for survival.
Election times are up, and the curious side of me always is after the number of “independent politicians” who usually get a vote. I wonder who that one vote was – was it himself, his wife, or someone in his family? If that is the case, was he so lonely with his ideologies that he couldnt garner more than a vote? Then think about it, its not so different from keeping a blog and never seeing that counter go more than one. The situation is pretty much the same.
I believe, this is the fundamental reason for terrorism. And I believe terrorism is more prone to happen in a democratic scenario than in any other form of government, cause democracy demands that you make your way to the top, that you fight to have your voice heard, and do whatever stunts you need to pull to make that happen. If there is someone who unfortunately is in a minority and doesnt have the patience and forebearance to tolerate time, she ends up become a terrorist to make a statement – all to simply catch that attention.
I dont have any answers here, but a lot of questions, and the hope of this post was to get you to think and perhaps discuss this – please refrain from “Life is like that” comments. Its crucial to understand this, because there is a lesson in strategy and marketing here. How DO underdogs really take on the golliaths, if people would never pay attention to little Davids? Perhaps the answer is in the question itself. Do we really need miracles and just the sheer luck of having the right timing to make it happen?
How do the little guys take on the Goliaths? That was precisely the question we faced when we launched iWantMyName. How could we differentiate ourselves in an already mature and highly competitive market? Here’s four key points to consider if you are a new venture starting out engaging with the big wide world.
1. Cultivate a community of trust. Demonstrating industry knowledge, moral and ethical leadership and delivering on product promises are fundamental keys to success.
2. Offer an exceptional user/customer/reader experience. Consumers have a lot of choice already. Why would you aim for mediocrity when you can have excellence?
3. Network. Connect in both the real world and online. Think – what can I learn from this person and how can I help them in return?
4. Enjoy the journey. If you are looking toward the sky, you are more likely to find a rainbow. So find a project that you will enjoy doing.
I am not sure it is just sheer luck. That would mean they got it the first time. But did they? It is perhaps right timing – watch for a long time, observe the patterns and then strike. But incidentally, they need the “luck” here. Because patterns are just as volatile.
Not an answer, just my thought.
Good Post on Survival. It is true that entrepreneur will go to any length to Market themselves, and maybe over the time they will learn the trick of the trades.
I don’t agree that this is the fundamental reason for terrorism. and also “democracy helps in the scenario”. In fact in democracy it is very easy to get your self heard, unlike constrained environments, where freedom of speech is itself curtailed.