BusinessWeek – A Conversation with John Battelle
“In whatever it is that you represent, if you’re very local, or regional, or if you’ve built a great small business in a particular niche, you need to understand what the ecosystem is around that niche online, and then to be part of that ecosystem, to join it.… Understanding where that specific group of people hangs out—what they do online, how they might encounter you— and then making sure you have a presence there that is robust … will help ensure that when people do find your brand through the serendipity of search, they’ll find it in a context that’s positive, because you‘re engaged. If you’re not engaged, you’re letting other people define who you are.”