A number of years back Ryan stressed that obsession mattered. It did then, it still does, and it still rules the internet.
I recently had a conversation with a stranger about the internet at large and the idea of very specialized sites and forums came up. The example I cited was when I was shopping for dress shoes earlier this year. I somehow stumbled on the site Ask Andy About Clothes. At first blush, I thought it didn’t have much for me. And it kind of doesn’t. But that’s okay! That’s okay. I did get a lot out of forums devoted to quality dress shoes. I found the information I needed and made a more informed purchase because of it.
I might not return to that forum. And again, that’s okay. But in my younger days I might have cast off a site like that because it isn’t totally in line with my interests and hobbies. “People talking about dress shoes! Ridiculous!” Coincidentally enough I watched this happen recently when I cited a thread on FatWallet to people totally outside of that community. Lots of them dismissed the site as “boring.” But to me, saving money and getting deals is great! Naturally, comments that were anti-FatWallet got me a bit miffed.
In the end, having that knowledge out on the web is totally worthwhile. There are lots of people who obsess over things I don’t care about… today. But I might someday. And then, I’ll be really glad that information is out there.
Posted in Pop Culture