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Your comment resonates and I liken it to promoting when starting a business, which I have just recently done again. Feels like there is a massive imbalance bet

Your comment resonates and I liken it to promoting when starting a business, which I have just recently done again. Feels like there is a massive imbalance between quality outlets where eyeballs exist and the volume of people /content/businesses vying for attention at those outlets. And, the idea that we need to all become influencers of some scale and amass our own audiences to get the word out about something is not practical or possible. Just creates a long-tail for the platforms. This leaves a relative handful of platforms and influencers through which everyone must flow. It produces an all-or-nothing effect, with tons of failures and a few outsized winners (relatively). I've solved this before, but things weren't as concentrated then. And, ironically, my latest business is intended to solve this for others. But, this startup phase is a beast.

latentsea 2y ago
I guess we need to invent ads, so that we don't all have to become influencers?
- unclebucknasty 2y ago
  >I guess we need to invent ads, so that we don't all have to become influencers? It's almost as if you've never bootstrapped a business, self-published a book, or similar. If you have, and had the resources to use paid ads to reach your desired scale, then congratulations. I think that does indeed entitle you to be smug and dismissive with everyone else.
  - tomnipotent 2y ago
    So we're expected to feel sympathy for the broke bootstrapper? What I'm reading is someone wants all the upsides with none of the downsides. No one is entitled to an audience, especially that of another, just because they've produced some good or service. Participating in capitalism requires either time or money, usually both, and even then you're not guaranteed success.
    - unclebucknasty 2y ago
      >So we're expected to feel sympathy for the broke bootstrapper? No one is entitled to an audience... Participating in capitalism requires either time or money...and even then you're not guaranteed success. Wow. It's like I'm talking with a real, live Rockefeller! My comment was exactly about requesting sympathy and demanding government mandates to buy my products, and those of every bootstrapper. But, your brilliant, esoteric insight regarding the true nature of capitalism has shown me the light. Thank you!
      - tomnipotent 2y ago
        It's always humorous when people turn nasty and throw ad hominem's rather than actually addressing the topic.
        unclebucknasty 2y ago
        The point is that you missed the point. Entirely. I said none of the things you want me to "address". Maybe re-read what I actually wrote and respond to that, if it's really a discussion you're seeking.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        tomnipotent 2y ago
        You were complaining about platforms and influencer's gatekeeping their audiences and creating some sort of "all-or-nothing effect", whatever that means. Someone else pointed out that ads exist, and you got snippy and decided to attack the OP for "never bootstrapped a business, self-published a book, or similar". I pointed out that you don't get an audience for free, and that seems to have further upset you. Doesn't look like the issue is on my end. You could have used the opportunity to correct my understanding, instead you decided to be rude.
        2y ago
  - latentsea 2y ago
    Yes.
handfuloflight 2y ago
[dead]
lotsofpulp 2y ago
> And, the idea that we need to all become influencers of some scale and amass our own audiences to get the word out about something is not practical or possible. Just creates a long-tail for the platforms. This leaves a relative handful of platforms and influencers through which everyone must flow. >It produces an all-or-nothing effect, with tons of failures and a few outsized winners (relatively The “it” you are referring to here is math, or just the way networks work when the barrier to entry is zero and the speed of information flowing through networks is almost instant. Lots of things in nature follow a power law distribution because of it.
- unclebucknasty 2y ago
  >The “it” you are referring to here is math, or just the way networks work...power law distribution... These are more observations around the dynamics of the current state. I think we all understand network effects and other factors involved in where we are. But, there's no natural law that prescribes precisely the current state of affairs.

latentsea 2y ago

I guess we need to invent ads, so that we don't all have to become influencers?

unclebucknasty 2y ago
>I guess we need to invent ads, so that we don't all have to become influencers? It's almost as if you've never bootstrapped a business, self-published a book, or similar. If you have, and had the resources to use paid ads to reach your desired scale, then congratulations. I think that does indeed entitle you to be smug and dismissive with everyone else.
- tomnipotent 2y ago
  So we're expected to feel sympathy for the broke bootstrapper? What I'm reading is someone wants all the upsides with none of the downsides. No one is entitled to an audience, especially that of another, just because they've produced some good or service. Participating in capitalism requires either time or money, usually both, and even then you're not guaranteed success.
  - unclebucknasty 2y ago
    >So we're expected to feel sympathy for the broke bootstrapper? No one is entitled to an audience... Participating in capitalism requires either time or money...and even then you're not guaranteed success. Wow. It's like I'm talking with a real, live Rockefeller! My comment was exactly about requesting sympathy and demanding government mandates to buy my products, and those of every bootstrapper. But, your brilliant, esoteric insight regarding the true nature of capitalism has shown me the light. Thank you!
    - tomnipotent 2y ago
      It's always humorous when people turn nasty and throw ad hominem's rather than actually addressing the topic.
      - unclebucknasty 2y ago
        The point is that you missed the point. Entirely. I said none of the things you want me to "address". Maybe re-read what I actually wrote and respond to that, if it's really a discussion you're seeking.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        tomnipotent 2y ago
        You were complaining about platforms and influencer's gatekeeping their audiences and creating some sort of "all-or-nothing effect", whatever that means. Someone else pointed out that ads exist, and you got snippy and decided to attack the OP for "never bootstrapped a business, self-published a book, or similar". I pointed out that you don't get an audience for free, and that seems to have further upset you. Doesn't look like the issue is on my end. You could have used the opportunity to correct my understanding, instead you decided to be rude.
        2y ago
- latentsea 2y ago
  Yes.

handfuloflight 2y ago

[dead]

lotsofpulp 2y ago

> And, the idea that we need to all become influencers of some scale and amass our own audiences to get the word out about something is not practical or possible. Just creates a long-tail for the platforms. This leaves a relative handful of platforms and influencers through which everyone must flow. >It produces an all-or-nothing effect, with tons of failures and a few outsized winners (relatively The “it” you are referring to here is math, or just the way networks work when the barrier to entry is zero and the speed of information flowing through networks is almost instant. Lots of things in nature follow a power law distribution because of it.

unclebucknasty 2y ago
>The “it” you are referring to here is math, or just the way networks work...power law distribution... These are more observations around the dynamics of the current state. I think we all understand network effects and other factors involved in where we are. But, there's no natural law that prescribes precisely the current state of affairs.