unlike music streaming services (which aren’t oversaturated) blogging is.
There are thousands upon thousand of blogs and many of which are niche sites, i.e mom blogs, celeb blogs, health and wellness blogs, food blogs, fashion blogs, tech blogs etc.
But because blogging is so common, not even having a niche blog is enough anymore-you have to have a nice within your niche nowadays and like Tidal, people are only considering [and throwing around the words]: “my brand.”
That means nothing in the overcrowded world of blogging because by default, the decision as to what your blog’s niche is-is necessary even before you begin. So having a mom blog, celeb blog, health and wellness blog, food blog, fashion blog, tech blogs etc. as a blogs niche, is secondary. What’s primary is what makes you a competitor and stand out /a part (among other blogs).
That is the point where Tidal fell short (and out of the running-because again, they had no more to offer than the streaming sites before them were offering—other than 16 brand names to hype up excitement for it). That wasn’t enough (just like it’s not enough to having a mom blog, celeb blog, health and wellness blog, food blog, fashion blog, tech blogs etc.)
Like for instance, this is a celeb blog, however, it’s not only a celebrity blogs.
As well, I was careful not to pigeonhole and typebrand myself to be stuck to my/a name, or be boggled down to one celebrity blogging niche (i.e an “urban” or “pop” blog).
I’m too versatile and well-versed in various areas of pop and popular culture, so I didn’t typebrand myself as an “urban” or “pop” blog for that reason.
As well, (knowing that the writer in me is wayyyy too natural and unrehearsed) I knew (despite being trained in journalism) that I wasn’t going to write standard, straight-lined magazine-like articles on my blog—because I have a voice and started in knowing that I wasn’t going to suppress that (hence the name): Other Side of the Fame. I knew that sometimes I was going to voice my blogs in the slant from my naturalness over being straight-lined and uniformed (magazine article style or same indie blog story warmed over).
Considering all the blogs that were out here before me (the indies) plus the majors like TMZ, People, Us Weekly, etc.; I knew (coming in the gate) I was up against a lot.
But I also knew one thing: My pen was fierce. My writing style was fierce. And I knew I could combine a slight journalistic style + my own writing style, while still being myself.
I knew that the majors (People, UsWeekly etc) were typebranded to stick to a completely journalistic style of article writing, and although TMZ didn’t: they, or the major likes People and Us (or any of the indies) had no one of staff that could hold a pen to my pen.
I studied that the TMZ’s was basically about getting it out first.
The People’s and Us’ etc, were typebranded to magazine style article writing.
The indie’s were either typebranded (as “pop” or “urban”) but moreover-relied way too much on their social media numbers and engagement numbers to attract.
So rather than some half cocked step out on starting a blog from a dream, I studied all that and used all that as my strategy, edge and eventual leverage.
I knew that (as an indie) if I conditioned my readers to rely on reading my work (versus all that the other indies’ relied upon and hid behind); I would move to the forefront of being “that one blog”—like nobody else’s (indies or majors).
With TMZ’s having chasing getting the story “first” covered-nobody is going to step in and take that lane. I was no fool.
Although Us Weekly’s and People’s having the multi-niche market covered, that lane wasn’t completely on lock by them + (again-they could be trumped because of their brand, they are forced write magazine-style journalism…They can’t have staff and article writers insisting on “their own voice”). I used all that to my advantage.
Lastly, (again) the indies rely heavily on plastering engagement numbers to attract (over their work). I used that to my advantage—but only by force and default as, that wasn’t the plan initially. But by force of default, it catapulted me into my very own niche over being a niche blog (celeb blog) with multi-niche channels as blogs.
The Niche Within the Niche – Here’s How OSF Happened By Default (and the Reason Why OSF Does Not Operate The Same Way 99% Blogs Operate)
When I first started OSF, I wanted it to be (what I called) a “blogging mecca” where people all over the net could submit commentary on the day’s news stories from the celeb world to the real word. The only thing I required was spelling names right (so everything searched could be found). I wanted a real, live online magazine like such.
