Interview with Mike Butcher of mbites

Mike Butcher started writing about the business of web sites ten years ago. He has continued to write and speak about media, technology, and the internet for several high profile publications since then, including, The Guardian, Broadcast, Marketing Week, New Media Age and Media Week. His current project is maintaining mbites, a personal blog focusing on digital media and technology.

1. In the short time, since we last spoke, there seems to have been so many changes in independent media and publishing. What’s changed in your world – in media and personally?

I think the biggest change that has happened in the last year – and this applies to the last 5 years – is that whereas the old dotcom bubble maxim of “build it and they will come” used to be laughed at, these days it is now true. It is now possible, with RSS and blog aggregators like Technorati to go from nothing to having a reasonable audience in the space of a few weeks or months. RSS was the missing link in online publishing that revolutionised indie media and levelled the playing field with the big guys.

2. To what extent is the publishing you do your business or your shop-front? How has that changed over the last year?

To be fair it is both, but whereas I think a lot of bloggers use blogs to show off their wares, I blog because I just like to create content and write. It acts as a shop-front usually by sheer coincidence!

3. Beyond any financial reward, what do you get out of it all? What drives you?

I guess it comes down to the fact that I just love talking to people and finding out about what they do.

4. Are you conscious of YOU the brand as much as your site? Do you leverage the fact?

I think it would be stupid and overly coy not to consider oneself as much as a ‘brand’ and a blog site. In the new business world we are all walking brands, and it’s usually large corporate entities who would rather their employees not realise this. Look at Scoble for instance. A Microsoft man for years and now a walking breathing brand.

5. How do you view the other independent publishers that cover the same content areas as you?

Usually with admiration to be frank. There is also a slight feeling of frustration that there are people out there – if they collaborated – could do some amazing things. Boing Boing started off just like that I’d like to be involved in just such a project, and I probably will at some point.

6. How is mainstream media covering your content areas? Is there a noticeable reaction to what you and your peers are doing?

Mainstream media has woken up massively in the last year, but they are like a slow-moving super tanker. That said, some are moving fast – like Murdoch. There is also a growing realisation amongst newspapers that this time round they *really are* in trouble and under threat. And not from blog content, or citizen media, but from online classified advertising leaving their busineses.

7. How is your world going to change over the next 12 months?

I’d say immeasurably. In about 12 months time I hope to be producing content (text, audio, video and live coverage) almost seamlessly from laptop and mobile. Right now it’s like knitting with tree-trunks – but it’s just set to get easier and easier.

Thank You

Mike Butcher