[...] are saying this. At the same time they are telling you not to worry about linking so much. In fact according to Jeremiah Owyang you should be adding substance and not worry about linking to Techmeme [...]

Now, granted the big blogs have earned their status and to keep a site fresh with a more breaking feel (as opposed to something like Digg where ‘breaking news’ is no longer breaking by the time it hits the front page) this is needed on some level, but as Louis said, it can be very hard for us ‘B’ guys to get a headline – I’ve only had a handful.

I’d be all for TechMeme doing something like a ‘backpage’ where maybe some of the quality but smaller writers could have a chance to shine with some original content in the world of tech.

I think your points are all pretty solid Jeremiah, we’ve all no doubt noticed this, but just consider that for some of us this issue is just as much Techmeme’s fault as it is ours.

[...] are saying this. At the same time they are telling you not to worry about linking so much. In fact according to Jeremiah Owyang you should be adding substance and not worry about linking to Techmeme [...]

Nah, I won’t be changing that option.

[...] being over 40 in Facebook is just downright creepy. Irony: Jeremiah is hypocritical Just yesterday I ranted on bloggers that summarize and add no value, and here I am with a wrap up. Shame shame. Well, truth be told, no one else is cutting the data in a way like this (automated or [...]

You mean, like, erm, Digg?

Only a few would vote, but it *could* improve the User experience.

The downside is that it could be gamed…everything can and will.

[...] Jeremiah Owyang chastises bloggers for wasting Techmeme real estate. Here is his list of the three strategies he sees blogger play on TM. 1) When I look at the expanded view of Techmeme, all I see is a regurgitation of the same bloggers repeating the same titles, and same information I’ve already read from the top story. Why? attention, and the ability to build up a referencable database of posts increasing search engine juice and potential views for advertising. [...]

Or someone could built a filter to sit on top of it.

There is too much repetition and not enough analysis on Techmeme these days – and some of it is outright spam. However, given time, these blogs will be filtered out of the system. If somebody consistently stops adding to the conversation, he/she will not get linked to anymore and should drop out of the index over time automatically.

I try not to blog about a story unless I think I have something new to add to the conversation.

But I am guilty as charged as well. When I just started out, I would leech on to any top story on Techmeme (basically following Jason Calacanis’ advice there). Without doing that, it is tough to get onto Techmeme in the first place and if you are a new tech blogger not listed there, you don’t get much attention/links/readers.

And even today, I do the same thing as Louis describes. Sometimes I know I had a story first, but nobody linked to me, so I will still tag on to the Techmeme headline.

[...] came across this post – Bloggers: Stop wasting Techmeme <b>Real Estate</b> – and thought it was worth sharing. I hope you find it interesting too and take the time to read [...]

Yes, I was avoiding the can o’ worms about techmeme itself. No system is perfect.

As you suggest, the best system is the reader him/herself

Keep on growing, learning and conversing. I embrace that.

The challenge is those who consistently “Game” techmeme without adding any value at all, either for themselves or for the community.

Andrew attacks the industry as a whole, which is no different than what Nicholas Carr did for IT, which I’m sure can trend back to critics to every industry. In that light, none of alive are original.

Rex Dixon
Publisher Relations, Lookery
Director of Social Media Content, Lending Club

Also, based on a site’s muscle, we “B Players” often can look like we’re following, even if we had a story first or more fully.

If “Big Blog A” writes about X 30 minutes after I do, it’s likely “Big Blog A” will get picked up on TechMeme and I won’t. Therefore, it’s tempting to edit my post and add a link saying “Also see: Big Blog A”. Then, I’d be in the discussion section.

TechMeme does a great job of measuring the hot conversations. But it doesn’t prioritize the old journalism boosts around scoops and original reporting, only who’s biggest and gets linked to more often.