> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://onemanandhisblog.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The new original sin of online publishing
- URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2017/02/online-publishing-original-sin/
- Published: 2017-02-05T21:30:05.000Z
- Updated: 2017-02-05T21:32:28.000Z
- Author: Adam Tinworth
- Tags: analytics, community, digital strategy, online publishing, platform publishing, Publishing

John Battelle thinks we actually figured out online publishing a decade ago – and then we screwed it up. How? We [handed power to the social networks](https://shift.newco.co/we-can-fix-this-f-cking-mess-bf6595ac6ccd?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#.f5u7l6i6x):

> Again, for emphasis: despite all the whizzy bang-y social media we’ve invented these past ten years, I HAVE NOT ONE CLUE WHO IS READING ME ON A REGULAR BASIS, NOR DO I KNOW WHO TO THANK FOR SENDING THEM TO ME.

And in the pre-social media, blogs and websites days, we did. Why does this matter?

> This is the single most immutable rule of media, folks. PUBLISHING IS COMMUNITY. And if you don’t know who your community is, you’re screwed.