I noticed that Washington Monthly has done an article on the downfall of Culture 11 and the uprise in Breit Bart’s Big Hollywood. The problem is that the article really does not reflect the real reasons why Culture 11 flopped and Big Hollywood worked. I have several theories as to why.
- Appearance: Culture 11’s design was rather…. What’s the word? *snapping finger*…. generic?!?! It just wasn’t that sham-wow like, of a Blog design. Not to say that it was ugly or anything. It really was not a “Eye Candy” kind of a site. You know, kind of like Gawker.com? I never had any issues with the content; of course, I really never went anywhere, except in the politics section a few times.
- Political Affiliation: No, I am not talking about it being a Conservative site. I am referring to the kind of Conservative site. It is my understanding that Breit Bart is a Wilsonian Neo-Conservative, as are most of his friends, I tend to suspect that the funding come from people of that ilk. On the other hand; I was under the impression that Culture 11.com was an alternative Conservative or Paleo-Conservative based Blog that did the whole pop culture thing.
- Funding: This could be intertwined with the above as well. But the Wilsonian Neo-Conservatives are well funded. Considering where most of the money comes from, this should not be a big surprise. The Alternative Conservative scene is just not as well funded.
Just my take on it. It was a good site and it is a pity that it did not last.
Others:
Iain Murray / The Corner: Selective Quotation is Alive and Well
Daniel Larison / Eunomia: Culture11 — Digg (0) Stumble Upon Newsvine Slashdot Mixx (0) Diigo
David Weigel / The Washington Independent: The Decline and Fall of Culture11
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish: Beyond The Cocoon — Charles Homans has written a piece …