Good article re flaws in "The Long Tail"

[JerseyGirl]

So this cropped up on my RSS feed and I had just finished reading the Chris Anderson book (yes, I know, I'm behind) so I was interested enough to actually read this article. Anyway...

The guy at Datawocky is on to something. After he highlights the flaws of both Chris Anderson's research and Anita Elberse's, he offers the following summation:

"The real Long Tail created by the internet is not the long tail of consumption, but the long tail of influence...​

The long tail of influence, combined with instant feedback loops (e.g. social networks), leads to a short tail of consumption."
​

So why does this matter to Affiliate Marketers?

If what he posits is correct, hyperconsumerism is here to stay- and possibly become even faster- in the future.

Faster consumption = greater demand, esp. for the "new" < enter product/ service/ app here >.​

The way I read that is: The AM'ers who can cycle into launching affiliate offers ahead of, or at least on the trend, with the most consistency and accuracy over the long haul will have the best ROI.

...that's certainly seems to have been Apple's experience since circa 2004.

 

[fm1234]

I have a lot of respect for Anderson, but his critics, even when right, make me want to drop-kick my dog. Rather than get too lengthy, I can just cut out all the text and copy this picture, which the critic says shows that there is no long tail on Facebook app distribution:

Maybe the image needs to be translated into braille and sent back to the guy for further analysis?


Frank