Fat Belly

Concept related to the Long Tail

Description

Robert Young in the GigaOm blog at http://gigaom.com/2006/09/04/digg-that-fat-belly/

"what I find limiting (in Chris Anderson's theory of the Long Tail) is the fact that he divides the power law distribution curve into only two segments… the hit-driven head (what I call the “Big Head”) and, obviously, the long tail. What’s missing, in my opinion, is actually the most important part… the section in the middle of the curve that I affectionately call the “Fat Belly”.

The recognition of the existence of the Fat Belly is critical for many reasons, but allow me boil it all down to this overarching statement: Any economist or political scientist will agree that the health of any democratic society that’s fueled by free market capitalism is measured by the robustness of its middle class. A large and vibrant middle class demonstrates a healthy redistribution of wealth within a nation and its economy, ultimately serving as a catalyst for the power of one vote and equality amongst its peers/citizens. What all this means, and to bring this back down to earth, is simply that I prefer to segment the power law curve into three distinct segments… the big head, the fat belly, and the long tail.

Now, why is this relevant/important? The answer is simple… in my view, the potential success of any Internet venture, particularly for those heavily reliant on the development of an online community of active participants, is directly correlated with the concept’s ability to create a large and dominant Fat Belly… much like a successful democracy will result in a large and dominant middle class. And towards such ends, Digg is one of the best examples I’ve seen. But be warned… there are subtle forces at play within an online community like Digg, some of which are seemingly contradictory, that could easily lead observers and decision-makers astray. For instance, how can I say that Digg is a truly democratic community, given the fact that a small group of Diggers have such disproportional influence within the system?" (http://gigaom.com/2006/09/04/digg-that-fat-belly/)