Write things people care about: FastCompany's breach and the writing on the wall

I write this blog more for me than anyone else. This blog is the only real estate on the internet I truly own. Social followings on Twitter, LinkedIn etc could be nuked, canceled, etc at any time. Such is life in this digital age.

This is why you need your own website, your own little corner of the internet you control.

But if you're a media website, you must have people care about what you write. Your business model depends on it.

On Sunday, FastCompany. com was defaced and more. Hours later, millions of people got an obscene message on their phones from Apple News, thanks to those who breached the Fast Company network.

Six days later, this message still appears on the FastCompany.com and Inc.com websites...  

As embarrassing as that is, the more damning thing to me is this:

You have 2.3M followers, and when your entire content library and website is taken offline the outcry from your readers is... that 44 people liked and 13 people commented on the tweet?!? I guarantee you, if Lenny's substack was taken offline, or Corey's newsletter / website was down, or Mr Beast's YouTube channel was banned for some reason that waaaaay more than a few dozen people would care.

The comments and outcry would be deafening. People care. They have a community.

FastCompany has millions of twitter followers as a "significant" tech news and media outlet. Yet when their content has been removed for a week, and apparently no-one really cares. Except FC advertisers.

No wonder journalists are leaving to start their own substacks / newsletters / blogs in droves and influencer campaigns are of increasing interest from companies.

Lesson: community is currency and eventually more and more capital and cashflow. Disruption is here and the writing is on the proverbial wall.