Tuesday April 01, 2008 at 8:17

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1) Say that you work really hard and create something original. Then you

2) Put it on the internet.

3) If you’re lucky, it’ll get linked by someone popular, i.e. a professional (link)blogger. This is someone who directs traffic on the internet, but in many cases adds very little original material to the conversation. I mean, no disrespect or obloquy, I read those sites, I like those guys, but this is how things work. Even some of the traditional people you’re thinking of don’t do as much original work as they used to (As I’m writing this: nothing original on Kottke except a brief and welcome digression about the toys he lets his son have. Nothing on Fimoculous, although maybe he’s never done as much original stuff. Daring Fireball (which I read despite never having owned a Mac! So he’s clearly a good writer, but) has one piece of original report about a Safari Bug and some info about his membership drive.) But they direct swarms of traffic. And they decide they like what you created,

4) Which is awesome! And they link to it. So they link to the thing you created, which has now become “content” for them, and allows them to go on being a paid blogger, and in turn you get,

5) I don’t know, conservatively say thousands of people seeing the thing you created.

6) Also good! Probably even a fair trade-off! Except

7) Figure two-thirds of the visitors aren’t interested, don’t get, it, it’s not to their taste, whatever. They depart quickly. Which is perfectly understandable.

8) Inside that last third (these are all as imaginary ballpark as can be, but they’re based on personal experience, FWIW.) one-quarter (also: I suck at math) like what you did just OK.

9) One-quarter (AT LEAST! I’m being way to generous!)will troll and decide what you did is completely dumb, be mad that the professional link blogger made them visit your site, and write comments on your website telling you that they will rape your babies, and your babies’ babies.

10) This will get you down for a while, but hey:

11) One-quarter will like what you did OK. Maybe tell someone about it.

12) The last quarter (again, way too generous) will actively appreciate what you did, and maybe want to stick around and visit your site for the next time you create something.

13) But only if you do it soon! Because a week later they won’t remember why they added your site to their feed reader, and will delete it. Don’t forget your constituency is now accustomed to being fed The Next New Thing 12-20 times daily. I know creative things often take time, but too bad.

14) But maybe one person or two will send you an email and also enjoy the thing you do next. This is your end result, and you will appreciate it like you’ve never appreciated anything in your life.

15) And then you have to start working on the next project.

16) Which might also get linked somewhere popular!

17) But probably won’t. I mean, you just got linked to, right?

18) This is why creativity on the internet doesn’t scale.