I used to go to SlideShare all the time to learn about anything.
I enjoyed the long-form storytelling that intermixed graphics, presentation and content.
It was better than reading a blog because you were able to see the evolution of an idea.
I used the past tense because I recently read a number of articles on how the site is dead, it’s user base has dropped and it’s not generating the value it used to.
Which is too bad, because there is some incredible content on that site.
But one screenshot, taken today, sums up where they are at perfectly.
A homepage dedicated to user content has “Featured” items from over a few months or years ago interspersed with Job Postings.
Is it because it takes longer to consume a presentation and each one doesn’t have a note saying how long it will take to consume?
Is it because the content is out of date and not easily accessible from your phone?
Is it because the effort to create content is too high with too little reward?
Is the market too crowded now with LinkedIn (now owner) pushing their own course content on the site?
Once a darling, when it reached maximum saturation, it started to drop.
So what’s next to fall? Podcasts (already incredibly saturated) and if so, what do you do to avoid another SlideShare (sniff, sniff).
