Back in the day, regional media (TV stations and big dailies) were the primary purveyors of content for each Metro area in the US. Back in the day, companies, corporations, and government created big brochures that represented everything about themselves to large, broad segments of clients and citizens. Back in the day, all of these organizations created big web sites that were thick, with zillions of words and hundreds of pages in them.

All that is coming to a close – like a slow-motion implosion that gets smaller and smaller – then blows out into a nova with many, many small pieces scattering everywhere.

Thus, the rise of micropublishing. Not too many years ago, it was all about a bunch of small magazines targeting a range of small user groups. I heard of one that is roughly titled “Coin Operated Laundry Owners Magazine”.  That trend started about 15 or 20 years ago.

Today, Micropublishing has come into its own- especially with so-called “push” e-news products that focus on constituency groups that are as small as a couple hundred individuals. I should know – my firm – MCCI- produces a number of them. There are many reasons why they’re popular and effective – but the three most important principals are 1) readers read primarily out of self-interest, and nothing else; 2) 99% of all other content readers are presented with is irrelevant to their daily working and family lives; 3) consumers are expert at filtering out all but the most important, relevant content.

So….regional content has less relevance than what’s actually happening in the 6 blocks surrounding my home; general business news is not as relevant as what others are doing in my specific business; broad government content is not as relevant as how government affects my specific, personal and business life.

Even now, big web sites are giving way to “microsites”. And digital broadcasters are trying to figure out how to customize content not just to my neighborhood, but to me, personally.

Now THAT’s micropublishing!