A weblog by Tom Coates concerning future media, social software and the web of data
Quote of the month: "This is not a brothel, there are no prostitutes here"
You can subscribe to an RSS feed, read the disclaimer or explore the archives

In which I am a web trump and more equal than others...

Posted January 6, 2001 11:58 AM.

Pixelflo launches Web Trumps - a new Top Trumps style game where you can play with your favourite web celebs, down-at-heel webloggers, and gods like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Based upon Dan Hon's Blogtrumps, I am delighted to add that I have my very own card. The whole enterprise is a great laugh, but it does bring up issues regarding the nature of web celebrity, and its disconnected, "clumpy", community-based nature.

Let's say, for example, that I ran two sites (I run several more, actually, but that's not the issue). Both have very different subject matters. Both have received about the same number of page impressions at various points. The two are not connected in any particular fashion. In both communities (weblogger / fan) the site that is relevant to them are well known, while being completely unknown to the other community. At this point you have to ask yourself about whether all communities are equal. Because of (often) our industry connections, do webloggers have an unnaturally significant impact / public image as opposed to other communities on the net? Are we, in fact, more equal than others?

© 1999-2007 Tom Coates