Read on Twitter
Thinking of a media category I want to call 'Nosumer Media' (nosumer as short for no consumer). These could be books, podcasts, apps etc. They are created not for consumption as much as for the benefits from creating, or the pleasure of creating accruing to the creator.
1/
1/
Nosumer media creators are aware that their creations are unlikely to be consumed (in large numbers), and have no overwhelming desire to even see consumption grow for it.
Why would nosumer creators spend time creating such media?
2/
Why would nosumer creators spend time creating such media?
2/
3 possible benefits for nosumer media creators
- signalling of some skill possessed by the creator
- learnings accruing to creator from the creation process
- meeting interesting, useful or powerful people during the creation process
3/
- signalling of some skill possessed by the creator
- learnings accruing to creator from the creation process
- meeting interesting, useful or powerful people during the creation process
3/
Let us take some examples of nosumer content.
Nosumer books: books by high school students to impress admissions officers of U.S Univs, though it seems the smart ones have moved to android apps.
4/ https://twitter.com/dkhare/status/1189902117445619712
Nosumer books: books by high school students to impress admissions officers of U.S Univs, though it seems the smart ones have moved to android apps.
4/ https://twitter.com/dkhare/status/1189902117445619712
Summaries of books etc., written and posted on your website or other sites is another example of nosumer media. Unlike signalling, the benefit here is that you remember what you read and learnt.
5/
5/
It is also interesting to see wikipedia editing under this or contribution to open source projects. This is signalling within the community, using your labour to create a brand, which can be encashed with employers.
6/
6/
Nosumer media really hits its stride with podcasts. More time is spent on planning and creating it than perhaps in consumption. (True of 95% of podcasts maybe more)
7/
7/
I recommend podcasts as a sales tool (not content marketing) to all founders. Do a series of podcasts interviewing CEOs / decision makers at companies they are selling to, or attempting to break into. Even if just 10 people listen to the podcast, it is perfectly fine.
8/
8/
You get 1 hr or so with the CEO including connecting to his office. It is a great entry point and a way to break ice. That 1 hr is soft time, where you ask the CEO softball questions, and make him / her feel important.
9/
9/
A similar strategy can be employed by those seeking to break into an industry. Say, VC. You could create a podcast like @HarryStebbings (who has now become a VC himself!) to interview 50 VCs. I will be surprised if it doesnt result in a job offer or at least job interviews.
10/
10/
The end of curation / gatekeeping by editors & publishers, thanks to rise of self-publishing tools has led to an interesting phenomenon. They have unbundled creation from consumption. Historically we created media to be consumed.
11/
11/
Today you can create media without any desire it to be consumed given the benefits I raised earlier - signalling, learning, networking.
Hiring is the most obvious way to encash equity from creating nosumer media, next being sales (though more tenuous.
12/
Hiring is the most obvious way to encash equity from creating nosumer media, next being sales (though more tenuous.
12/
Hence tweets like this from @stevecheney
https://twitter.com/stevecheney/status/1191853948120043520
13/
https://twitter.com/stevecheney/status/1191853948120043520
13/
When do we see HRTech products emerge seeking to improve hiring via nosumer media creation. Perhaps tools will emerge that rank content on a quality index depending on RTs and likes from people with higher follower counts. Could some version of pagerank emerge here?
15/
15/
Early thoughts these. I will have more later as I think through this. Would love to hear your thoughts on these?
16/16
16/16
