Weblog networks have existed for some time, usually featuring a variety of blogs that each focus on a topic and are all loosely linked together. Today’s Washington Times features an article on "the world’s first blog channel," assembled by Duct Tape Marketing’s John Jantsch. According to the Duct Tape Marketing Weblog…
The Blog Channel is the integration of 9
marketing topic specific blogs thoroughly linked together to give
you every small business marketing idea and strategy on the planet.
You can easily jump from blog to blog, subscribe to each or
subscribe to the entire blog channel (…)
Unless I’m mistaken, Jantsch’s "blog channel" is very similar to the familiar concept of a network. "Channel" blogs focus on different aspects of a common theme and sport a deeper level of integration than a typical network, with the option to subscribe to all blogs within a channel in one RSS feed.
The idea of networks and "channels" appears to be growing on a grassroots level amongst bloggers and podcasters. One podcast network in particular, the Comics Podcasts network, gives listeners the option to subscribe to an RSS feed called "The Bat Feed" that features all of the networked shows- a concept which appears to mimic one of the core concepts of Jantsch’s " blog channel."
I can certainly see a future in which this collaborative concept is carried further. A daily news podcast, for example, could feature individual short podcasts about foreign events, celebrity gossip, sports, weather, etc., each produced by a separate individual who specializes in their respective reporting area. The whole thing could then be assembled into a cohesive program by a "host." Imagine a citizen-journalist version of "Good Morning America."
There certainly can be strength in numbers, and by assembling into channels and networks, bloggers and podcasters will increase their opportunity to produce higher-quality content with increased visibility.
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