Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Hugh Macleod does it again!

I swear, this man is a leader amoung bloggers.

His latest, and I quote:

"Here's where I think a lot of bloggers would like to be:
1. Let's say you needed a job. So you post a "looking for work" post on your blog, and within days another blogger e-mails you and offers you an interview.
2. Or let's say you wanted to hire somebody for your business. So you'd post something on your blog, and some other bloggers would e-mail you, and the next thing you know you'd have a few interviews set up.
3. You're moving to a new town. So you blog about it, and the next thing you know a couple of bloggers from that town with apartments to rent send you some details.
4. Your girlfriend and you broke up a few months ago and you're looking to date again. So you blog about it and the next thing you know a woman blogger e-mails you, and you two go meet up for coffee the following week.
5. You're looking to buy a car. So you blog about it and the next thing you know a blogger looking to sell his 1999 Honda sends you an e-mail.
6. You've got a nice little freelance business which you regularly talk about on your blog. Once a month or so a blogger e-mails you, offering you good, solid work...We'd like to be able to be more reliant on the blogger's market, and less reliant on other markets.
Because the blogosphere is a market that bloggers are comfortable with. And compared to dealing with the blogosphere (when it works), most other markets are anonymous and unpleasant.
PART TWO:
So what is the answer? How does an average blogger, someone who doesn't have a lot of readers, make it happen?
I was very pleased with what happend on the
"Blog Designers Wanted" wiki page. I jut put up a simple, blank page on the wiki, and within 24 hours, about as comprehensive a list of good blog designers as you can find anywhere suddenly self-created, as if by magic.
But bloggers need more than just blog designers. We need all sorts: jobs, workers, furniture, love, sex, friendship, apartments, business opportunities, the information is endless.
But what we also need, when we scatter our pollen, is a place where our pollen can be seen easily by others. Just scattering it everywhere is no guarantee it will land where you want.
Ergo, "The Hughpage". An Open-Source "Craigslist" for Bloggers:
This wiki is designed to give bloggers a place where they can centrally collate their links for whatever reason: Work, jobs, love, sex, networking, friendship, apartments, furniture, cars, arranging geek dinners etc etc. Go ahead and build, design, improve and contribute to it as you see fit, in whatever manner works best for you. I'll pay for the bandwidth. -Hugh MacLeod
The Hughpage wiki is up and at your disposal.
Just blogged that you're looking for a job? Then go put the link in the jobs section. Just blogged that you're looking for a date? Then go put your link in the dating section. Just blogged about needing an apartment? The real estate section.
Just blogged about something that doesn't have a section? Then create a new section by yourself. No need to ask first. Exactly.
Feel free to go crazy. Thanks. [NB: You might want to go check out the
Blog Designer's page just to give you an idea of how it generally works etc.]"

Thank you Hugh, for this gift to all us small bloggers out there. I urge people to go out and use this (I myself, am thinking of promoting my little film on it.) When this really gets going, it will open up a whole new world of possibility for those of us in the blogosphere.

This relates directly to David's recent post on Ripples (again.) Too late to become a blogger? Well with new developments like this one, the time has never been better.

Here's to helping each other out!

3 Comments:

Blogger nigel said...

I briefly investigated Hugh's very generous offering myself but I still think that Craigslist has its cyber finger on the pulse of the wants and need of the internet community on a very global scale.

Excepting the personals...I had expected more 'authenticity' there than I think was being offered. Maybe that is really where Hugh can supplement what is already being done on the web...a smaller base and, therefore, "smarter conversations."

10:19 AM  
Blogger jhodson said...

I think that Craigslist has the info, but it's very mechanical. Hugh does something similar and it feels personal, like people are connecting with one another. I feel Craigslist though comprehensive, feels more like leafing through the newspaper classifieds

1:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am also a follower of the gaping void. hugh has fantastic work.

11:37 PM  

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