Getting Down To Business With /Message

/Message has been a key element of my work life, and the central core of my public identity (although Twitter is starting to play a big part there too, now that I have 3400+ followers). But /Message hasn't really been a business proposition: the little advertising here has never moved above $1000/month, even including the Feedburner ads. But that is all going to change.

As an outgrowth of my recent thoughts about micro business -- a micro business: extremely low overhead, minimal infrastructure, and zero bureaucracy -- I am actively searching for a few contributors to /Message.

My strategic goal is to establish /Message as the preeminent source of deep analysis around the social revolution on the web. Tactically, this would translate into more posts, a larger community, and greater opportunities for all involved.

Obviously, any partners would have to have a long and deep fixation on social tools, as well as experience in blogging, analysis, and web software.

The partners -- I am hoping for at least two -- would get a piece of the business, and a slice of earnings. They can be located wherever, but English proficiency is a prerequisite. In the perfect world, one would be in Europe and the other somewhere in the Pacific, but that's just frosting on the cake.

I am firewalling this as a distinct micro business, separate from my consulting work, but there may be an opportunity for collaboration on that side, as /Messengers, as well.

Please email me at stowe DOT boyd AT gmail DOT com, if you are interested.

Comments

[Chris Brogan...]

I just want to wish you the best with this, Stowe. I think you've built a strong brand, have great ideas, and have a loyal following. I believe you'd gather some clever people around you, and I hope that goes exceptionally well for you. Good luck, /Messengers.

[gregory]

this is a good idea, and also runs against two of the main drawbacks in the current social media meme/scene

it is monkey see/ monkey do far more than thought leaders want to admit ... yes, all change is incremental, but the homerun philosophy of big bucks and ipo cash-out is like a magnet so that edge guys may get a hit, but outliers are shunned

and people in the industry are the least likely to understand what they are actually doing in terms of human evolution becasue they have such a narrow context for understaning anything outside of the next cool app.

so, how radical do you want to get with your business? industry mouthpiece / house organ, or critical / investigative / confrontational ? or, maybe, visionary? what flavor do you see for this business concept?