If you'll just point me in the right direction...

July 15, 2008 5:10 AM

I have a question in two parts. If that's illegal, admin, please delete the last part. I'd like to hear suggestions for websites I should look at, and then advice on whether this is really how I should move forward with this. Hopefully, this is much clearer in the ...

part 1: I'm thinking about putting together a blog/website/internet doohickey that would eventually become an online encyclopedia about a very narrow topic. Narrow as it is, there could end up being many hundreds, but probably not thousands of entries. I'm intrigued by the wikipedia idea, where others can contribute and change etc, but for the time being, I'd like to have comments be the modus operandi for feedback and improvement on the main entry. I think the main thing about the wikipedia model that I like is the community aspect. I like the idea of building something with a group of people across the world (as far fetched as it may be, ultimately). My question is, what recommendations do you have for internet doohickeys that do this well? Do you know of a good encyclopedia/glossary/dictionary type site that ingeniously (or quite capably) handles comments and feedback from visitors? One obvious example is, ahem, AskMe, but please give me some more things to look at and get inspired by. Additionally, one thing that AskMe doesn't really allow that I'd like to incorporate if possible, is a way to comment about, say, one sentence in the main entry, and be able to see that comment in close proximity to the sentence in question, but never be confused about what is the main entry and what is the comment (like notes in the margin?). And I'd like people to be able to comment on the comment, etc. So there might eventually be six or more 'conversations' going on about different parts of one entry, all viewable (with some scrolling necessary, perhaps) on one page per entry. Does that make sense? Is that possible?

part 2: Should I do this?
Sometimes lately (in my more hubristic moments) I've begun to feel that maybe, among English-speaking individuals, I might actually be on the brink of becoming the most knowledgeable person on my narrow topic. I want to share the knowledge I've acquired over the last 10 years studying this narrow topic, but I do feel uncertain about 'giving it away.' The topic is narrow enough (and the 'target marget' infinitesimal enough) that I'm never going to make a million bucks writing books or lecturing about it, but I'm sure there's some money to be made, and I am reluctant to just toss it up on the net for the world to cannibalize. I understand the idea that having an effective web-presence leads to other opportunities, but there's a part of me that can't help asking: Wouldn't I be better off to write a book and just advertise it on the web? I sense that there are probably two camps on this -- please tell me which camp you are in and why, and where possible/applicable, point me to other resources to support your argument.

Thank you kindly for your support.


*I realize this "narrow topic" stuff is a little hinky, but somehow I'm uncomfortable spilling the details (though I realize you can all probably figure it out, this being the internet, and all). I also feel that being more general might induce more creative answers (?).

posted by segatakai to computers & internet (8 comments total)

The internet always has room for more information. Just don't forget to mention your sources. Footnote everything that isn't yours, and explain how you discovered everything that is yours.

My aunt is an expert in Baroque and Renaissance dance, and part of her getting paid for it is the willingness to put her obscure expertise out there so people can find her. It’s still not a living, but she’s lecturing at the University of Ontario soon, paid, on the subject. Sans degree.
posted by Phalene at 5:40 AM on July 15

For part 2 of your question, there are many blogs that have crossed over to books, or blogs based on books. It's a great way to give a demonstration of the book's contents (or even your writing style, etc), as well as to communicate with your audience. Recently I purchased the Canadian real estate book Greater Fool because I took interest in reading the blog, and was interested in the author's other thoughts. However, I would never have bought the book if I saw it while browsing a bookstore.

Another great example: Freakonomics. I'm not sure which came first, book or blog, regardless its a great success (their independent blog was acquired up by the New York Times). I've seen similar success in many other endeavours where they give away content while still making money off the content: web comics (Penny Arcade), my friend's band (giving away mp3s through their website but still selling CDs, other merch, and tickets to shows), even Cory Doctorow or Neil Gaiman's book sales (where you can download a PDF for free, as well as purchasing an actual book) are a few good examples of the free-leads-to-pay model.
posted by Meagan at 6:16 AM on July 15

Narrow topics are great. If I were you, I'd start with a password-protected wiki, and worry about letting others edit once I had a decent amount of text in it. I'd be surprised if there weren't a few wiki platforms out there that had a "all changes must be approved by an admin" option.

Once you're at least part-way there, please post to Projects - we love narrow topics around here.
posted by Leon at 6:18 AM on July 15

I've been reading round Internet startups a little lately, and the feeling seems to be that the more niche, the better - you don't have to (and probably can't) compete with the big boy sites, who any might not be able to get down to the level of specialization you're suggesting. In terms of making money, you might consider subscriptions to access areas of your site. There's one commercial site, http://www.subhub.com, which gives lots of great free info for startups - and no, the owner isn't a friend. As per your wish for site recommendations, I live in Spain and the site Iberian Nature (http://www.iberianature.com)seems to me to do a good job of bringing a specialist subject alive. Good luck!
posted by Holly at 6:29 AM on July 15

Nothing for your part 1, but for part 2, if there's not a strong market for a successful book on the topic, then becoming THE acknowledged expert on the subject might be the only way to get paid for your knowledge. The world of talking head experts is surprisingly small -- once you've done a few interviews on a given subject, you'll get asked to do more by default, because you'll be recognized as the go-to source of info on a given subject. That could lead to paid speaking or writing gigs or consulting gigs, depending on the topic, and it would also mean that if there ever is a book to be written about the subject you're the most likely person to get yours published.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:40 AM on July 15

part 1: Drupal is a free, open source Content Management System that has commenting built in. You can turn it on or off for individual articles, and control things like who can post comments (anyone, or only people who've created an account and logged in, or only a special subset of those people).

part 2: In my experience, it's much easier to get people to pay you for your knowledge after you've given it away. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but people need to know you know what you're talking about, and people are often reluctant to pay for the information itself - but once they know you know what you know, they're often happy to pay for some teaching or tutoring, or to have you write an article about your area of expertise.
posted by kristi at 9:44 AM on July 15

Someone in my industry who gives away information and it helps him garner more paid workshops is Michael Arquin of KidWind. His work is under constant professional review, and he is now the leading school educator in the subject.

On the software, I have no specific suggestions, but if your topic is what I think it is, whatever you choose will need to have robust non-Roman multilingual script support ...
posted by scruss at 3:55 PM on July 15

Monetize your content through ads on your website.
posted by Jacqueline at 5:10 AM on July 16