Tuesday, July 18, 2006

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More: Books: Chris Anderson


The idea of the long tail has been bantered for many years. This book will be a focal point for lots of discussions about what the new business ideas will have to work out. It is going to challenge everyone of us to make the transition, even as we experience the change in the businesses we work with.
Amazon.com: The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More: Books: Chris Anderson:
"From Publishers Weekly
Wired editor Anderson declares the death of 'common culture'—and insists that it's for the best. Why don't we all watch the same TV shows, like we used to? Because not long ago, 'we had fewer alternatives to compete for our screen attention,' he writes. Smash hits have existed largely because of scarcity: with a finite number of bookstore shelves and theaters and Wal-Mart CD racks, 'it's only sensible to fill them with the titles that will sell best.' Today, Web sites and online retailers offer seemingly infinite inventory, and the result is the 'shattering of the mainstream into a zillion different cultural shards.' These 'countless niches' are market opportunities for those who cast a wide net and de-emphasize the search for blockbusters. It's a provocative analysis and almost certainly on target—though Anderson's assurances that these principles are equally applicable outside the media and entertainment industries are not entirely convincing. The book overuses its examples from Google, Rhapsody, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and eBay, and it doesn't help that most of the charts of 'Long Tail' curves look the same. But Anderson manages to explain a murky trend in clear language, giving e"

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