When I talked to Times (London) reporter Andrew Heavens last month for this article (good luck accessing that if you're not in the UK), I mentioned to him a blog I knew about, Tinbasher, that is solely about sheet metal. I did so not because I am myself a sheet metal enthusiast - Egyptian linen sheets, maybe, but nothing metallic - but to illustrate the point that there are micro-blogospheres within the larger blogosphere, and that businesses should find theirs and engage them. Or, as Frank Kelcz (who held senior roles at publishing companies Bertelsmann, ACE Electronics Publications and VNU in Europe and launched Ziff-Davis over here as well) put it at our day session on Friday, the blogosphere allows for every imaginable specialist publication in the world to exist and thrive if the market for it is there or can be created.
Well, I got an email from the proprietor of Tinbasher, Paul Woodhouse of Butler Sheet Metal, not too long after the Times piece was published. Apparently all the attention from that mention forced Paul to give the blog a makeover - and he's done a good job. As he puts it:
This spurred me into action with the same gut feeling you have when you know you’re expecting visitors and frantically start hoovering.
Paul has also decided to join the CEO Bloggers' Club. Score one more recruit for us.
And how did I know about Tinbasher? Well, Paul is an old friend of a blogger with whom I am friendly, Harry Hatchet. Harry linked to Tinbasher once upon a time, and although I am nowhere near the target audience for such a site, it always stuck in my mind as a wonderful example of the kind of niche publication that is so easily possible only with blogs. Paul and I have also exchanged views in the comments at Harry's blog, but it wasn't until he emailed me about Tinbasher's mention in the Times that the penny dropped and I realised exactly who was behind that sheet metal blog.
Small world, big blogosphere. Don't forget it.
This entry has been cross-posted at the Big Blog Company's blog.
Am so greatfull to all you people in the conference in London.
Thank you call me on +25675399999 or PaulEryck@yahoo.com
Posted by: Eryck Paul | October 26, 2005 at 01:30 PM