3 ms·

What makes things like this interesting is we don't quite know how the web world works in this regard yet. In the publishing world it didn't matter because wha

What makes things like this interesting is we don't quite know how the web world works in this regard yet. In the publishing world it didn't matter because what was important was the subscribers and the physical assets (printing press, building, etc...). In the software world people are everything. If the people walk out of an acquired startup the software dies. But web publishing is different because it's not like software which requires exclusive use (most people won't use 2 different word processors for instance) and it's not like publishing where you have to pay for the product. I'm reminded of people like Marshall Kirkpatrick and Duncan Riley who both broke off from Techcrunch and created successful sites without hurting the site they broke off from. At the same time there was a mass talent exodus from TVGuide.com a while back (they created their own site at TVGuidemagazine.com) and those people failed completely (eventually re-merging with tvguide.com) So every time something like this happens it goes further towards answering the question of what is more important, the URL or the people

bigethan 16y ago
The GameSpot.com to GiantBomb.com migration was/is a similar situation. Many of GameSpot's top editors left around the 'Gerstmann Incident' to form Giant Bomb. It hasn't had a long term effect on GameSpot's traffic, and despite great content, GiantBomb hasn't really taken off[1]. My feeling is that for established media style sites, unless the people breaking away are doing something _very_ unique, it's the URL that's more important. [1] I'm not privy to their data and goals, but traffic wise they aren't getting closer to GameSpot. It's just my impression.
- pstack 16y ago
  The traffic isn't all that relevant. It's what you can do with that traffic. GiantBomb is where the content is. Sort of like Digg may have the traffic, but places like HN have the conversation. For example, GiantBomb has something like 6,000 (at least) members willing to pay $50-$60/yr to subscribe to the site. That's fairly significant for a two year old site.
- warp 16y ago
  I do not think it needs much more "taking off". The site has 9300 paying members (according to [1]), which I assume means they're profitable. I get the impression that the founders aren't looking for more than a lifestyle business. [1] https://auth.whiskeymedia.com/world-tour/ https://auth.whiskeymedia.com/world-tour/
seanalltogether 16y ago
Topolsky is an interesting case because he's actually been on tv shows as a guest. His identity is beginning to become more then just the website he's attached to. I think he'll be able to easily bring readers over to the next URL.
- MatthewPhillips 16y ago
  Being able to plug his site on Jimmy Fallon will surely help with traffic.

bigethan 16y ago

The GameSpot.com to GiantBomb.com migration was/is a similar situation. Many of GameSpot's top editors left around the 'Gerstmann Incident' to form Giant Bomb. It hasn't had a long term effect on GameSpot's traffic, and despite great content, GiantBomb hasn't really taken off[1]. My feeling is that for established media style sites, unless the people breaking away are doing something _very_ unique, it's the URL that's more important. [1] I'm not privy to their data and goals, but traffic wise they aren't getting closer to GameSpot. It's just my impression.

pstack 16y ago
The traffic isn't all that relevant. It's what you can do with that traffic. GiantBomb is where the content is. Sort of like Digg may have the traffic, but places like HN have the conversation. For example, GiantBomb has something like 6,000 (at least) members willing to pay $50-$60/yr to subscribe to the site. That's fairly significant for a two year old site.
warp 16y ago
I do not think it needs much more "taking off". The site has 9300 paying members (according to [1]), which I assume means they're profitable. I get the impression that the founders aren't looking for more than a lifestyle business. [1] https://auth.whiskeymedia.com/world-tour/ https://auth.whiskeymedia.com/world-tour/

seanalltogether 16y ago

Topolsky is an interesting case because he's actually been on tv shows as a guest. His identity is beginning to become more then just the website he's attached to. I think he'll be able to easily bring readers over to the next URL.

MatthewPhillips 16y ago
Being able to plug his site on Jimmy Fallon will surely help with traffic.