Home >> Blogging >> How the Mighty Have Fallen: b5media Shutters a Prime Channel

How the Mighty Have Fallen: b5media Shutters a Prime Channel

February 16, 2010 By 30 Comments

Wow times have changed. Once the world’s third largest blog network, b5media is certainly on a deathwatch now with today’s shuttering of the entire Entertainment Channel to launch Crushable.com—B5media To Launch New Celebrity Site Wednesday, Bathed In Fired Blogger Blood, Mass Firings At b5media: Entire Entertainment Network Shut, The end of b5media—and it isn’t the concentration of bloggers into a super channel that is the problem, it’s that b5 has lost vision and credibility in social media.

I worked at b5 as a blogger, channel editor, and then the training manager. I loved (most) of my time working at b5 and the one thing I could always count on was Jeremy shooting straight and telling people what he could when he could. Today I’ve checked the b5 site several times for some comment, anything, on a very public blogger bloodletting, there’s nothing there. The last news post: October 9, 2009 announcing the new CEO. The last blog post July 16, 2009! The fact that the woman who was critical to building the b5 entertainment channel Arieanna Schweber had no warning, no information, not even an idea if she still had a job, is just mind boggling.

The key people at b5 always knew what was coming ahead of time. Even by just a little, they knew. This is a sign that a company has lost heart and lost vision.

Now I’m afraid that b5media has just put the nail in the coffin of their own relevance within the blogosphere and social media. Not long ago working at b5 media meant that you knew your shit. From the developers to the bloggers, the people who were there were some of the people who helped shape not only b5, but social media over all. People who not only wrote about blogging, but helped to build the platform (WordPress) as well.

Now? Not so much.

Today b5media isn’t on the forefront, it’s a backwater. The saddest part is that it didn’t need to be. You see that I think that the plan to consolidate the individual channel blogs into super topic blogs was and is a smart one. The wheels were in motion to do this when I was still there in June 2008. It was smart then, but now b5 has lost momentum. I don’t think about b5 when I think about cutting edge commentary or content. I follow a lot of blogs and even more sources on Twitter and very rarely does a post from a b5 site ping up on the radar.

Yes, the drop in ad revenue hurt badly. Yes, there were structural issues that needed to be fixed. However, look at sites like GigaOm and ReadWriteWeb, niche players who tapped into the talent they had to launch subscription services. There was more than enough talent at b5 to do that not long ago.

Now? Not so much.

It’s really sad to see bungled communication that has now cast a pall over what might have been a great entertainment site. It’s a bungle that even if it happened during Jeremy’s watch, he would have owned up to it and talked about it. Even just to say sorry.

I think that it’s only a matter of time before b5media starts to fire sale it’s online assets and fades away. And I don’t think that time is very long from now.

Filed Under: Blogging, Social Media Tagged With: ,
  • http://freeelancewritinggigs.com Deb Ng

    Well said, Tris. This is a sad day for anyone who wrote for b5Media.

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      It certainly is. We’ll just have to see if they can turn things around.

      Though I doubt it.

  • http://freeelancewritinggigs.com Deb Ng

    Well said, Tris. This is a sad day for anyone who wrote for b5Media.

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      It certainly is. We’ll just have to see if they can turn things around.

      Though I doubt it.

  • http://earsucker.com Roberta

    I wrote for them at RumorsInMusic.com and they could have at least gave us fair warning before sending some cheesy form letter announcing our termination. They are so awful. You’re right, though, Jeremy would’ve given us the courtesy of keeping us in the know. RIP b5, you were once great.

  • http://earsucker.com Roberta

    I wrote for them at RumorsInMusic.com and they could have at least gave us fair warning before sending some cheesy form letter announcing our termination. They are so awful. You’re right, though, Jeremy would’ve given us the courtesy of keeping us in the know. RIP b5, you were once great.

  • http://sheasylvia.com Shea

    Excellent post. Made me wax nostalgic for the good ol’ days. Horribly sad to watch something I loved so much take such a dive.

  • http://sheasylvia.com Shea

    Excellent post. Made me wax nostalgic for the good ol’ days. Horribly sad to watch something I loved so much take such a dive.

  • http://sleepyblogger.com Robyn Tippins

    On blog networks in general: I’ve written for 5 now, and got paid almost nothing for a significant amount of work and at the end, lost some really great content for pennies.

    I don’t know that they are worth it, unless 1-they pay really, really well (few do) or 2-if you are a new writer and need help building a name. Otherwise, what’s the upside?

  • http://sleepyblogger.com Robyn Tippins

    On blog networks in general: I’ve written for 5 now, and got paid almost nothing for a significant amount of work and at the end, lost some really great content for pennies.

    I don’t know that they are worth it, unless 1-they pay really, really well (few do) or 2-if you are a new writer and need help building a name. Otherwise, what’s the upside?

  • http://freeelancewritinggigs.com Deb Ng

    Though I own a blog network and try to be fair to my bloggers (Paying a flat rate as opposed to residuals or bonuses), I am honest in about it as well. I earned more money and gained more recognition in growing my own blogs than blogging for someone else. At one time I was blogging for b5Media, About.com and someone else and my own blogs still were bigger earners.

    I did have a valuable experience with b5 in that I learned so much and met some wonderful people, but as I blogged today, I’m in a much better place now.

  • http://freeelancewritinggigs.com Deb Ng

    Though I own a blog network and try to be fair to my bloggers (Paying a flat rate as opposed to residuals or bonuses), I am honest in about it as well. I earned more money and gained more recognition in growing my own blogs than blogging for someone else. At one time I was blogging for b5Media, About.com and someone else and my own blogs still were bigger earners.

    I did have a valuable experience with b5 in that I learned so much and met some wonderful people, but as I blogged today, I’m in a much better place now.

  • http://www.christinaloves.com Christina

    Been waxing nostalgic here too. b5 was a wonderful place to be, once upon a time, but those days are looooooong past. I’m so thankful to have had an opportunity to jump ship when I did – its amazing how some things just work out. Wonderful post Tris, I hope you’re doing very well – miss you (and all the rest of you up there too). xox

  • http://www.christinaloves.com Christina

    Been waxing nostalgic here too. b5 was a wonderful place to be, once upon a time, but those days are looooooong past. I’m so thankful to have had an opportunity to jump ship when I did – its amazing how some things just work out. Wonderful post Tris, I hope you’re doing very well – miss you (and all the rest of you up there too). xox

  • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

    Thank you everyone. I miss all of you guys and the times we had building something great. Deb and Robyn are right, the money in writing like that just isn’t there. We tried, but getting good money, I think, can only come with something where the blog effort is part of a marketing effort and not revenue generating.

    What I’m doing with Future Shop up here is a good example. We’re all paid well for our posts, but the blog isn’t out to make money, that’s what the stores are for. ;-) .

  • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

    Thank you everyone. I miss all of you guys and the times we had building something great. Deb and Robyn are right, the money in writing like that just isn’t there. We tried, but getting good money, I think, can only come with something where the blog effort is part of a marketing effort and not revenue generating.

    What I’m doing with Future Shop up here is a good example. We’re all paid well for our posts, but the blog isn’t out to make money, that’s what the stores are for. ;-) .

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  • http://www.tammypowley.com Tammy

    Things started changing early on as far as I remember at B5. I was with Shai when she started her own little blog network and then we got pulled into B5. It meant a steady pay check, though small, and it did give my blog more traffic initially, but I still can’t help think about what could have been if we had stuck with Shai and not merged.

    Considering the warm and fuzzy feel B5 claimed to have at one time, I’m still pretty shocked to hear about its treatment of these bloggers they let go. It really doesn’t have to be that way if anyone has any sense of professionalism and compassion.

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Who knows Tammy. So much changed in the potential revenue models that I don’t know how blog networks then would fair now. I’ve written for a few now, and one was an epic fail, the real problem was and is the revenue model for the company and the bloggers.

      • http://www.tammypowley.com Tammy

        True, I still work for About.com, which isn’t necessary a blog network more of a web site network that includes blogs, but its model is one that seems to work and could be adapted to a blog network possibly. Of course, it just takes such a long time for a network to get established. Most companies don’t have enough of …whatever.. it seems to stay the course.

  • http://www.tammypowley.com Tammy

    Things started changing early on as far as I remember at B5. I was with Shai when she started her own little blog network and then we got pulled into B5. It meant a steady pay check, though small, and it did give my blog more traffic initially, but I still can’t help think about what could have been if we had stuck with Shai and not merged.

    Considering the warm and fuzzy feel B5 claimed to have at one time, I’m still pretty shocked to hear about its treatment of these bloggers they let go. It really doesn’t have to be that way if anyone has any sense of professionalism and compassion.

    • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

      Who knows Tammy. So much changed in the potential revenue models that I don’t know how blog networks then would fair now. I’ve written for a few now, and one was an epic fail, the real problem was and is the revenue model for the company and the bloggers.

      • http://www.tammypowley.com Tammy

        True, I still work for About.com, which isn’t necessary a blog network more of a web site network that includes blogs, but its model is one that seems to work and could be adapted to a blog network possibly. Of course, it just takes such a long time for a network to get established. Most companies don’t have enough of …whatever.. it seems to stay the course.

  • http://blog.mastermaq.ca Mack D. Male

    I admit I don’t read b5 blogs very often, just specific current and former authors such as yourself Tris. Still, sad to hear this news. Thanks for keeping me informed.

  • http://blog.mastermaq.ca Mack D. Male

    I admit I don’t read b5 blogs very often, just specific current and former authors such as yourself Tris. Still, sad to hear this news. Thanks for keeping me informed.

  • http://hummingbird604.com Raul Pacheco

    Thanks for this post, Tris – extremely well written, and a very well-earned homage to both Jeremy’s vision AND Arieanna’s hard work (whom, as you said, was critical in building the entire Entertainment channel for b5).

    RIP b5

  • http://hummingbird604.com Raul Pacheco

    Thanks for this post, Tris – extremely well written, and a very well-earned homage to both Jeremy’s vision AND Arieanna’s hard work (whom, as you said, was critical in building the entire Entertainment channel for b5).

    RIP b5

  • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

    Thanks guys. There was a lot of promise and if some of these changes (not letting people go, the consolidation) had been made years ago, maybe the whole network would have been intact now.

  • http://www.trishussey.com/ Tris Hussey

    Thanks guys. There was a lot of promise and if some of these changes (not letting people go, the consolidation) had been made years ago, maybe the whole network would have been intact now.

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