The A-list is changing faster than ever before. Yes, it's another side benefit of, you guessed it, Friendfeed.Your reputation is everything. You want to bring your talents to the forefront and let the world know who you are.
The rules are changing, and at a very fast pace.
In the past, you built a reputation slowly. It didn't hurt to have a few bucks. Many small companies or individuals simply couldn't afford to attend conferences.
They don't have the resources (yet) for a large staff and/or PR department.
I've noted a few things in the past where Friendfeed has been a benefit to me. This is yet another one where Twitter and Friendfeed are similar, but Friendfeed is better.
Since I started this blog last August (and came out of the shadows of mostly in-house SEO and electronic marketing), I've used all kinds of online tools to network and create relationships.
400 or so people follow me on Twitter. 200 or so on Facebook. I've been moderately active on Friendfeed almost since the start.
Not a day goes by that I don't have more than a few new people subscribing to me .... but that's not the magic.
I've developed 'instant relationships' with a wide range of talented people ... from all generations. They recognize who I am and what I can do. I've realized there's a whole group of people with all kinds of skills that can be an asset to me, many of whom I simply never heard of before. They don't go to meetups or conferences. They don't have widely publicized websites or blogs and they're not buying keywords on the Search Engines.
Many of simply entertaining AND enlightening.
They've always been there. I just didn't know it?
The playing field is changing again, and while there's no doubt the notable names in Tech, SEO, PR, and other spaces will be around for a long time ..... a whole new crop of talented, interesting and knowledgeable people are emerging on the pages of Friendfeed.
It's not an option anymore to be an early adopter. The Internet space is changing so fast that if you don't stay current with the trends, you WILL be left behind, whether or not your name is etched in the Web history books.
There's no longer any question in my mind.
This chapter in Internet discovery, networking, and more belongs to Friendfeed.