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Itchmo :: Seattle Net Tuesday Notes
Below are my notes from one of five presentations at August's Seattle Net Tuesday. Notes from each presentation are a separate blog entry. Sessions were limited to five minutes, so I followed up with presenters as needed. -- Brian Glanz
Itchmo Pets Network
presentation by Editor and Publisher Ben Huh
Ben Huh has a background in journalism and in Internet start-ups. Even so, Itchmo was still just a side project, a pet-related blog he and his wife, Emily wrote for fun -- when suddenly a huge wave of popular interest hit the blog due to pet food recalls. Their hobby was swamped with public and even mainstream media interest.
This presentation was Ben's cautionary tale of fast success and how they have steered Itchmo toward a happy ending. He began with some insight into how their blog caught on. The coincidence of intense interest in pet food recalls and that they wrote a pet-related blog was certainly not in itself enough.
Ben highlighted that Itchmo does not only comment on existing news stories, it creates original content. Its ability to do so depends on a network of concerned readers who share tips and information in small amounts with Itchmo, trusting Itchmo to verify, then share the information quickly and widely. Information leaks and trickles out from a surprising number of sources, it's almost never an official company press release that breaks a story. Having a network of involved readers is a critical component of generating enough original content to keep things fresh.
Striking an emotional and timely nerve was certainly the spark, but by offering an email list to join, by interacting with their readers in a lively online forum, and by staying on top of rapidly developing stories, Itchmo quickly gained a trusted position in popular pet-related media. Listening to their readers and focusing on reporting stories of interest to them was also critical; many blog authors, perhaps, wrongly think more about what they want to write than what others want to read.
Finally, Ben stressed that you must have a plan for both growing and shrinking. One big story and mentions in international media or major web sites may turn a lot of traffic your way, someday. Is your site using shared hosting? Give your provider a call and find out if or when, how and on what terms, you can get a dedicated server. Soon after though, expect to lose a lot of traffic, too. Don't get locked into a contract for service you may not later be able to afford.
Itchmo is still awesomely popular but per a question in our session, Ben clarified that placing ads on their site was not the magic wand, revenue generator it's made out to be. They pay roughly $60 per month for hosting, now, and they focus on using free tools like FeedBurner to keep costs low. If you're cooking up a great new, relevant blog and online community, perhaps your growing and shrinking plans should focus on breaking even.
Even if you don't have a cat or dog, you've got to check out these pet videos on Itchmo.
Brian Glanz
Itchmo Pets Network
presentation by Editor and Publisher Ben Huh
Ben Huh has a background in journalism and in Internet start-ups. Even so, Itchmo was still just a side project, a pet-related blog he and his wife, Emily wrote for fun -- when suddenly a huge wave of popular interest hit the blog due to pet food recalls. Their hobby was swamped with public and even mainstream media interest.
This presentation was Ben's cautionary tale of fast success and how they have steered Itchmo toward a happy ending. He began with some insight into how their blog caught on. The coincidence of intense interest in pet food recalls and that they wrote a pet-related blog was certainly not in itself enough.
Ben highlighted that Itchmo does not only comment on existing news stories, it creates original content. Its ability to do so depends on a network of concerned readers who share tips and information in small amounts with Itchmo, trusting Itchmo to verify, then share the information quickly and widely. Information leaks and trickles out from a surprising number of sources, it's almost never an official company press release that breaks a story. Having a network of involved readers is a critical component of generating enough original content to keep things fresh.
Striking an emotional and timely nerve was certainly the spark, but by offering an email list to join, by interacting with their readers in a lively online forum, and by staying on top of rapidly developing stories, Itchmo quickly gained a trusted position in popular pet-related media. Listening to their readers and focusing on reporting stories of interest to them was also critical; many blog authors, perhaps, wrongly think more about what they want to write than what others want to read.
Finally, Ben stressed that you must have a plan for both growing and shrinking. One big story and mentions in international media or major web sites may turn a lot of traffic your way, someday. Is your site using shared hosting? Give your provider a call and find out if or when, how and on what terms, you can get a dedicated server. Soon after though, expect to lose a lot of traffic, too. Don't get locked into a contract for service you may not later be able to afford.
Itchmo is still awesomely popular but per a question in our session, Ben clarified that placing ads on their site was not the magic wand, revenue generator it's made out to be. They pay roughly $60 per month for hosting, now, and they focus on using free tools like FeedBurner to keep costs low. If you're cooking up a great new, relevant blog and online community, perhaps your growing and shrinking plans should focus on breaking even.
Even if you don't have a cat or dog, you've got to check out these pet videos on Itchmo.
Brian Glanz
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