Anyone read or listened to 'The Long Tail' by Chris Anderson?

[Torsten]

Hi, I've been listening to 'The Long Tail' by Chris Anderson and have enjoyed it greatly. Very good stuff and I used parts of it in many of my current courses. If anyone has read or listened to the book, what do you think of it and can you recommend any other materials that cover similar topics?

Thank you very much.
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Cookie]

If you had listened to The Long Tail properly and understood some of the information you have learned that one of the books related to The Long Tail is The Google Story by David A. Vise and Mark Malseed. I can't believe you haven't read it yet.

[Torsten]

Hi, has anyone read or listened to "The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World's Greatest Encyclopedia" by Andrew Lih?
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TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Margout]

Hello all,

I am reading now "The long tail".

I find the phrase "More sales, more algorithm-fueled recommendations, and the positive feedback loop kicked in." a little bit difficult.

What does "algorithm-fueled recommendations" mean?

Many thanks

[Torsten]

It means that the users wrote recommendations based on the sales results which were generated by a software system. In other words, the software that tracked the sales of the songs/books/products helped customers to compose their recommendations.

Let me know if this makes sense to you.
Many thanks,
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Margout]

Ok. Now I understand that.

[Margout]

Hello Torsten,

Please explain for me this sentence "For too long we've been suffering the tyranny of lowest-common-denominator fare, subjected to brain-dead summer blockbusters and manufactured pop."

What does "lowest-common-denominator fare" mean?

Many thanks
Margout

[Torsten]

Hi Margout,

In plain English it means that before the Internet came into being, consumers were dependent on main stream music and video products. Those products were created for mass markets, this means, for large amounts of people who shared the same interested and tastes.

Now with the Internet it is possible to create and market a much greater variety of songs, videos, books and other products. We are no longer dependent on the tastes and interests of the masses. We can find and buy products that cater to our individual needs and backgrounds.

Here is an example: I'm very interested in the Wikipedia story. I want to find out how this website emerged and how it was possible for it to gain such a level of popularity. Now with the Internet, I can purchase a product called 'The Wikipedia Revolution'. I wouldn't be able to buy it in a traditional book store.
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Margout]

Many thanks
Torsten

[Margout]

Hello,

What's about the phrase: "It created the Touching the Void phenomenon by combining infinite shelf space with real-time information about buying trends and public opinion."?

What does "Touching the Void phenomenon" mean?

Thanks

[Torsten]

It's a reference to the book "Touching the Void" by Joe Simpson in which he describes how a person achieves something that seemed to be impossible. In other words, when you use the Internet in an effective way you can create an highly efficient and effective distribution and information system.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Margout]

Hello Torsten,

Can you please comment this passage: "Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it in service after service."

Thanks
Margout