You are correct. My point was that you can still build an audience without being locked into a silo or megacorp the exact same way you would for a normal blog.

You are correct. My point was that you can still build an audience without being locked into a silo or megacorp the exact same way you would for a normal blog. My point was not that doing so is easier. If your content is good, it should succeed without a megacorp's help.