Networked Markets Are Democratic, Structured Markets Are Republican

Today I was checking out Michelle's A Small Victory. There are threads on self-publishing that mutated into a dispute about trolls, who was a troll, and whether linking to Little Green Footballs was as "un-nuanced" as linking to "Democratic Underground."

At one point a troll popped up and I had to blogroll him! The Troll Patrol. It's protected troll habitat, and of course I had to say that, daring them to do their worst. and taunting them with my Trolls Unlimited Cafepress Section

And then I commented a couple of threads at Michelle's, making the point that she might wish to use cafepress to publish a book she's working on - and should probably have tee-shirts with the Best Bon Mots of the Day. To show that Zazzle.com was the way to go there, I posted this:

Ok... now, is this trollery, shrewed marketing, editorial comment or what?

Well, it's all of the above - and a new clue about the new networked economy.

I've made the point before that money is in a way simply Representative of ideas in motion - just as are goods and services.

Zazzle.com and Cafepress.com are two examples of new, consumer-creator driven media - the antithesis of top-down marketing models. They are viral, marketed between friends and among interest groups and can be intensely topical. There's no investment barrier. I create artwork or write words, and I "sell" those images and words. The company merely puts the images on the chosen media, and they make their money on that.

They are both making MORE money by realizing that they do not have to shape the tastes and opinions of their consumers. And as I stated in Jump on the Cluetrain - that means people are the new brands.

Michelle is a brand. I am a brand. Tacitus and Dkos are brands.

But the traditional brands - for peas and pajamas and politics - those are in deep, deep trouble.

The vast uncommitted center in the upcoming election will not be voting for a republican or a democrat. They will be voting for either the George Bush brand or the John Kerry brand - neither of which bears a great resemblance to the traditional, bland and homogeneous image of their respective parties.

And it's worth checking out how people are playing on those brands:

Anti Bush activists are vitriolic.

Pro Kerry can be summed up as "being praised with faint damns."

Pro Bush is almost all anti-bush, with a few genuine items that prove that those few that are for bush and are on Cafepress are somewhat conventional-minded, humor-impaired, or just plain freaky-nuts.

I'm interpreting this as being simply that social conservatives view this sort of venue as sheer anarchist chaos with no focused central message.

And it is an antiathoritarian venue for sure, because (with certain vague and tiny limitations), you can say whatever the hell you like on a Cafepress product, and benefit by it - or not. The market determines if anyone gives a damn about your "brand" of speech.

As Papa Heinlein observed; "Money is the sincerest form of applause."

About The Author

Bob King writes regularly for Graphictruth.com and Wall/Fire eZines. He can be reached by email at webcarve@graphictruth.com.

---

Capture Names - They Are Like GOLD Nuggets!!

A landing page is used to capture people's details when... Read More

Internet Marketing Online: How To Eliminate Your Competition Without Bloodshed

Business thrives on competition.You've to be aware of your competition... Read More

5 Surefire Ways to Increase Sales

The Internet has changed how people do their business. Even... Read More

Marketing Gurus: Do You Need One?

Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.There are some... Read More

How To Create Your Own *24/7 Little Sales Machines* In 5 Simple Steps

Here's an astonishing fact guaranteed to excite you...Many successful internet... Read More

Why Online Business - The Harsh Reminder Why Online Business Is For You

Many people want to achieve financial freedom and they know... Read More

Visitor Traffic Statistics 101, or, The Who, What, When, Where, Why & How of Web Analytics

As we all know, visitor traffic is crucial to the... Read More

Internet Marketing Requires Persistence

Marketing your company online requires patience and persistence. Like every... Read More

Tracking Google and Googlebot Using PHP

Many people work for hours and hours, days and days... Read More

My 7-Step Secret Formula For Cashing In On Content!

Copyright 2005 Kurma GroupContent, content, content - everybody's talking about... Read More

10 Things You Should Try To Barter For Before Buying

1. Information Products - it could be ebooks, "how to"... Read More

Who You Trust and Who You Dont!

For the last couple weeks I have been running a... Read More

Getting Some Good Ol Internet Real Estate

Real estate has made many people large amounts of money... Read More

Autoresponders = Automatic Internet Marketing Success

What if you could send out all the information that... Read More

Internet Marketing Online: 10 Breakthrough Secrets To Heat Up Your Sales

If you desire to heat up your sales online, then... Read More

How to Get 100s of People into Your Downline(s) in Just a Few Months

I've been "seriously" working the Web since late 2000. I... Read More

Online Advertising Sinks into the Abyss!

Back in the ancient days of 1994 when Mark Andreesen... Read More

Internet Marketing for Dummies!

There are many people every day jumping into the online... Read More

There is Hidden a Successful Formula in Everything

Although many say that things change on the net, still... Read More

What The Home Shopping Networks Can Teach Us About Online Marketing

Who would have thought that a TV network dedicated to... Read More

Make Money With A Business Opportunity Online

There are so many business opportunities these days that promise... Read More

Ten Tried And Tested Viral Marketing Campaigns

Believe it or not, viral marketing did not originate from... Read More

An Approach to Advertising on the Internet

Budweiser has the frogs. McDonalds has Ronald. Goodyear has the... Read More

FFA Links and Free Classified Ads Dont Work

There are many ways to initiate traffic to your website,... Read More

4 Reasons Why Having Your Own Product is Essential for Serious Marketers

I know what you're thinking, "Why is having your own... Read More

Getting Targeted Traffic by Standing Out In The Crowd

Have you ever seen the trading floor in action on... Read More

Hype! Has The Internet Gone Too Far?

I remember back in the 1980s (history for many of... Read More

Automatic Internet Marketing and Business Success On A $25.00 Budget

There are plenty of free tools online for marketing. And... Read More

Three Key Steps to Invention Marketing

Ever see a new product and say to yourself, "Why... Read More

Dealing with Refund Requests ? Internet Marketing

I think we all cringe and dread when we open... Read More

Many Small Revenue Streams Are Best

There's an old story about a guy who had a... Read More

Find Your Niche

If you haven't heard the word 'niche' being batted around... Read More

How to Succeed and Stay on Task with Your Internet Marketing Promotion Strategies. A.C.T.I.O.N..

How to Succeed and Stay on Task with Your Internet... Read More