Peer effects and the econoblogosphere

abnormalreturns
March 6th, 2008

Felix Salmon at Market Movers is on a roll in his coverage of “blogonomics” and has become a go-to source on the subject. Recent posts have included a look at a new way bloggers could solicit tips and how independent blogs may become “incorporated into bigger media entities.” These posts are of obvious interest to the many bloggers who also read us here.

Felix also makes an interesting observation in regards to his own efforts as a full-time blogger. The growth and quality of the econoblogosphere has proddedd him to become a better blogger. He attributes this, in part, to peer effects:

It’s well known that if you take a worker and move him from a group with average productivity to a group with above-average productivity, his productivity will increase: it’s a simple peer effect. It’s not done consciously, but I’m sure it’s going on here: I probably had to pick up my game, just in order to keep up with the level of discourse in the econoblogosphere generally.

One blogger Felix does not had to worry about is Carl Icahn. After making a big splash with the introduction of his blog, The Icahn Report, Icahn has yet to publish a single post. John Carney at DealBreaker.com highlights an article in which Icahn states that his lawyers have put the kibosh on his posts for legal reasons.

In any event, with or without Carl Icahn the econoblogosphere continues to be a healthy and vibrant place. Even if the markets they cover are not.