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While personal blogs continue to sprout up more frequently than technology executives at Tyson“™s Silver Diner, the number of bloggers who have been able to transform the hobby into a viable and sustainable business remains minuscule.
But one blogger and former technology journalist has broken through to build arguably one of the nation’s two most influential and insightful technology blogs: Om Malik.
The good news for the tens of thousands of bloggers out there who dream of leaving their 9 to 5 job and live solely off of their blog is that, as Om has shown, it can be done. GigaOm currently boasts venture investors, a growing staff, and hundreds of thousands of devoted readers. The bad news for those wishing to emulate Om’s success – as a recent USA Today profile points out – is that his 9 to 5 job these days is 9am to 5am.
Malik cut his journalistic teeth with stints covering the technology beat at Forbes.com, Red Herring and Business 2.0; experience he has used to deliver insight that extends well beyond breaking news about the products, people and companies moving the needle in the tech sector. Instead, Malik challenges readers to rethink how they consume technology news with biting analysis and angles that mainstream media often overlook.
Throughout GigaOm“™s ascendancy from hobby to a business that now includes a family of blogs that complement the main site, Om remains one of the genuine nice guys in the industry. In coming to know him over the past few years, Om“™s 23 hour work day never prevents him from responding to as many readers as possible. And while many bloggers shoot first and ask questions later, Om’s blog has become such a trusted news source because he tirelessly researches each post topic, is careful not to pass along unconfirmed gossip, and maintains a division of Church and State by not investing in companies he writes about.
And while Om spends the majority of his time at his home base in California, executives and professionals in the DC area have a truly rare opportunity to see and hear from Om as one of the featured speakers at the upcoming ExecutiveBiz The New New Internet Conference on November 1st. Anyone who has read Om’s blog will certainly look forward to his take on how Web 2.0 is playing out in the DC area for government and business. And for those who have not been exposed to the blog, the speaking slot on November 1st is the perfect time to get acquainted with the man behind it.
