Article Scarcity

Let’s face it, how many people do you know that actually write, let alone write for web content. The number of content writers today doesn’t even come close to meet demand. The shortage is so apparent that opportunity can only be grossly understated. In other words, demand is so great that most of you are like me, standing in the woods and not being able to see the forest for the trees.

For example, Google the word “articles” and you’ll get a 900 million supply. The word “content” returns about 1.25 billion. Now the suppliers of articles and content can be represented by searching the term “authors” to get 395 million returns, “writers” 116 million, “internet writers” about 45.9 million.

Now there is no clear data on how many content writers are in a population of about 325 million English speaking internet users, but the number is reduced to who writes content for the internet niche. Although a Google search turns up 45.9 million, just like duplicate content, there are duplicate entries for internet writers.

For the purpose of this argument, let’s assume the supply of content is equal to a demand of 1.25 billion and the suppliers, internet writers, number 45 million. Now to maintain a supply of 1.25 billion fresh new content each day would require the 45 million writers to produce about 28 articles each per day. Well that doesn’t seem likely.

Many other factors affect the ratio between the actual number of content pages and writers. The point I’m trying to emphasize is that the scale of demand so out weighs the supply that competition would require every one of the 325 million English speaking internet users to write more than 4 essays daily in order for a competitive environment to exist. Competition relative to the scale of demand will never be filled so if competition is to emerge it will likely be based on quality.

In general economic terms, all products have a life cycle. Natural resources are extracted, manufactured, packaged, sold, consumed, and finally disposed. You’ve probably already guessed that the renewable natural resource that is the raw material for this discussion is you. Your intellect and what you do with it, the sum of your experience, is raw material. It is as renewable as the experience of each day of your life.

Every time you speak, write or otherwise communicate you have extracted the raw material from your personal mine, manufactured, packaged and delivered your product in your medium of choice. Economically this process can be expressed as giving away product or selling it through a variety of available channels. Everybody does both.

Whenever I look around and see how many different ways this natural resource follows its life cycle, I am truly amazed at the meaning of the words original, unique, and never seen before. However, one thing that stands out to me in the sales cycle is the range of payment for product delivered.

It’s my opinion that the lowest order of payment for knowledge is called a job. At the job, we either get good enough to get paid what we need to be comfortable or move on to something else. The challenge then becomes how to get paid more for your intellectual product at a job, a different job, a business, or some combination. The idea of scarcity in economics is one basis for valuing a product like your experience.

The scarcity of new organic content as opposed to outright duplication or computer software that spins content is a distinction that means the human type of internet authors are far scarcer than what any statistics can suggest. This scarcity then is good news for internet content writers and bad news for the opportunists that have spammed the internet with duplicate content. Why, because when writers clue in to their actual position in the market, the value of their work will increase, obviously to the chagrin of opportunistic marketers. However, the process of recognition is yet to materialize in any significant way.

One effort in particular that is helping authors to capitalize on market scarcity is called the Alliance to Refine Content (ARC). At first glance, ARC looks like the same old run of the mill internet marketing business twisted and spun to get recognized. Well yes, after all that is the current method of information product distribution but, there are less obvious indicators that ARC goes way beyond the marketing model and gets right into the cultural nitty-gritty of empowering authors.

Like everything else, the proof is in the pudding, and to get what ARC serves up you just have to subscribe to get the ARC newsletter called Business Builder Report. Regardless of what the store contains, it is the creative, technical and support features of membership that sets this organization apart. Obviously, you must pay to play but the price so far is comparatively low to what can be found elsewhere. The ARC interface of technology and culture clearly puts computers and software in their place as the tools of authors and not the other way around so popular with the current opportunist mind set.

It’s not the software; it’s how it’s being used. It’s not the author; it’s how the author is paid. It’s not scarcity; it’s how the value of scarcity is suppressed. Alternatively, it is all about you, and how you choose to value your scarce commodity of experience. The Alliance to Refine Content is an alternative to going it alone. ARC is a place to refine your content, packaging, marketing, and sales skills.

Summary Thoughts

In my understanding of a culture based on the written word, the probability of publishing only one document to be read by many people and without duplicating it would be a contradiction in terms. So for example, if we extend the potential of DCD and LSI technology beyond its use as a tool for the control of spam, and apply it to original organic works intended to be duplicated, to be distributed, and read by any or all, could not the technology then become a form of censorship, or malicious suppression of free thought in favor of a technically homogonized, sterile or at worst highly controlled form of propoganda?

Join the Alliance if you want to work on solutions with me. There is more than one and likely quite profitable.