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Doubts Multiply About the "Long Tail"
fruey sends in a New Scientist analysis of the many second thoughts about the Long Tail theory. It summarizes four studies that show, in different markets, that the tail is both flatter and thinner than originally supposed, and that blockbusters are not going away in those markets — they are getting bigger. It's theorized that widely used collaborative filtering software is magnifying the winners' share of the various pies, and peer influence is a large contributor to consumer behavior.
Just how do you quantify "doubts"? LOL
One person had a doubt, then a second, therefore it multiplied by a factor of two.
I had no idea what long tail theory is. I originally thought this summary was a joke, like one of those automatically generated jargon papers.
The guy who made the summary is the perfect politician. Able to fill a summary with words... but without saying anything!
Quite obviously, it must exist. The lack of evidence simply means it is an invisible tail, well hidden from the eyes of the unsuspecting public. Probably some sort of conspiracy of the short-tailed...
I would like to die like my grandfather did - sleeping. And not screaming in terror, like his passengers.
Googling for the "long tail" in German may have unforeseen consequences.
Particularly if you do it at work.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
friends?