I caught up with an old friend last night at a technology networking event in Chicago, whom I’d describe as a reformed Big 5 consultant turned entrepreneur turned trader. He also happens to write — from time-to-time a financial blog that looks at the economy and investment trends. He told me he reads Spend Matters to stay in touch with trends in the broader economy based on actual buying and global supply / demand behaviors. But more important than why he spends time curled up to our homely site in particular is his perception of what the balance of content for blogs should be. In his view, most blogs spend too much time being filters for the news rather than making or truly analyzing it. Spend Matters, in his mind, strikes a balance between reporting, analyzing and commenting.
I’m not so sure, however, if it’s always the right balance. When it comes to technology, I like to think of us as a market maker for information that counts. We don’t always get things entirely right when we move into analysis mode, but I think that over nearly six years, we’ve been right more than we’re been wrong in terms of casting opinions. It’s this part of Spend Matters which excites me most. Under ideal circumstances, I’d like us to devote even more time to analysis and op/ed type of writing rather than reporting on the events of the day and serving as a filter for information. Still, there are many who tell us that they like the part of Spend Matters that serves as a filter on the news. Our new “Afternoon Coffee” is the quintessential example as a blog as filter and even though we’ve not gotten much feedback on it yet, I personally find it valuable.
This question about the ideal role of blogs is even more appropriate given the FTC’s new interest in potentially taxing blogs that leverage traditional news sources…
