Niche Nation

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"Niche Nation" refers to what Chris Anderson, the author of "The Long Tail" believes is happening to our country as a result of a focus on consumer choice and consumer choice. It is happening in the business world, the political world, and has also infiltrated the media.

The EPIC 2014 documentary predicts that the news will be tailored to the individual reader through algorithms that combine through Google Grid, everything about the consumer. As a result, news will become a collection of trivia, much of it untrue.

Even though I disagree with the conclusion that much of the news will be untrue and trivial, I do believe that large media organizations like the New York Times will go under because they will be unable to compete with Google. Through RSS feeds, readers already are beginning to choose what they read and where they get their information. It becomes very easy for any individual to find their new niche and limit the type of news they read about. However, the idea that everyone is so shallow that all news will become trivia in the future seems absurd. But I do believe that individuals will not be as well rounded in the news they read in the future. Most people read only the stories that they care about the most and thus are never exposed to the full array of issues that affect the world today. But I guess, having individuals rather than Big Media decide whats the most important issues affecting the world is definitely better.

The 4 P's to networking

www.fair-pr.com/meet-aae/bunsen2005/index.php

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, Preparation...

That is what i got from Chris Brogan's blog post "Get more out of Conference and Networking Events." I have done alot of networking myself but never really thought about what I need to do before the event to maximize what i get out of it. Chris says:

"If you find others who are attending via social media sites or by using a service like Technorati or Google Blogsearch, drop them a comment on their blog mentioning that you’re attending as well. It might make for a good early ice-breaker to know others coming to the event."

When I first read this, I thought he was a genius. Who would ever think to begin a conversation before the networking event so that when you get there, you already have an "in." It might sound a little "stalker"ish, but honestly, you do what you need to do to increase your personal brand.

I remember one time at a function I recognized someone from a facebook group that I ran. It was a great way to begin the conversation and helped me broaden my network. In fact, that conversation helped me gain a trustworthy supporter of the Governor in Florida and she became a great help for me in the future.