Comments on: The Web Encourages Crap Content http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:41:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Learn how to write a well-researched article or a blog post and get more loyal visitors http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-13191 Learn how to write a well-researched article or a blog post and get more loyal visitors Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:49:19 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-13191 [...] On the Internet, there is a whole bunch of information. Even the search engines can’t claim to have indexed all the content. With so abudance of information, most of it has to be of lower quality and a smaller portion has to be of better quality as per Zippf’s distribution law (or 80:20, if you prefer it this way). [...] [...] On the Internet, there is a whole bunch of information. Even the search engines can’t claim to have indexed all the content. With so abudance of information, most of it has to be of lower quality and a smaller portion has to be of better quality as per Zippf’s distribution law (or 80:20, if you prefer it this way). [...]

]]> By: Peter Da Vanzo http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1335 Peter Da Vanzo Thu, 21 Sep 2006 03:31:09 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1335 Aaudette, great points. I agree. An example is producing content so bad, and navigation so obscure, that the easiest and most satisfying thing to do is click the ads. A really, really small font and a dense text arrangement also works. Death of Adsense Report - Agreed. Aaudette, great points. I agree.

An example is producing content so bad, and navigation so obscure, that the easiest and most satisfying thing to do is click the ads. A really, really small font and a dense text arrangement also works.

Death of Adsense Report - Agreed.

]]> By: Death of Adsense Report http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1333 Death of Adsense Report Wed, 20 Sep 2006 23:35:01 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1333 [...] I must say, I’ve never considered AdSense viable longterm.  There’s too much click fraud out there, too many ways to subvert its purpose.  And it promotes crap on the web.  Anyone can jumble up a few WikiPedia and About.com entries, toss together a site, throw AdSense on it and make some money from frustrated clickers just trying to get the hell off your terrible site.    Okay, so it’s not all that bad, but it does encourage the production of sites like that. [...] [...] I must say, I’ve never considered AdSense viable longterm.  There’s too much click fraud out there, too many ways to subvert its purpose.  And it promotes crap on the web.  Anyone can jumble up a few WikiPedia and About.com entries, toss together a site, throw AdSense on it and make some money from frustrated clickers just trying to get the hell off your terrible site.    Okay, so it’s not all that bad, but it does encourage the production of sites like that. [...]

]]> By: aaudette http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1329 aaudette Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:16:06 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1329 This is an excellent point: >>Yes, it can. However, I suspect the largest cheques are going to publishers >>who are heavily focused on exit traffic. It would be interesting to know for sure, but I'd wager the largest piece of the AdSense pie is consumer-related, rather that biz-related. Which would agree with your point above, since consumer-type surfing lends itself to exit clicks so well. Also, there's the newbie factor that's probably much higher, whereas with biz-related content most of the target audience will be familiar w/ AdSense and mentally filter it out. Still, when contextual ads are well-positioned and really relevant they actually *add* to the content, and then it's truly a win-win. This is an excellent point:

>>Yes, it can. However, I suspect the largest cheques are going to publishers
>>who are heavily focused on exit traffic.

It would be interesting to know for sure, but I’d wager the largest piece of the AdSense pie is consumer-related, rather that biz-related. Which would agree with your point above, since consumer-type surfing lends itself to exit clicks so well. Also, there’s the newbie factor that’s probably much higher, whereas with biz-related content most of the target audience will be familiar w/ AdSense and mentally filter it out.

Still, when contextual ads are well-positioned and really relevant they actually *add* to the content, and then it’s truly a win-win.

]]> By: Peter Da Vanzo http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1328 Peter Da Vanzo Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:57:46 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1328 Thanks for the link, Aaudette. >>I still believe quality content can be fitted w/ AdSense nicely and deliver >>revenue for publishers. Yes, it can. However, I suspect the largest cheques are going to publishers who are heavily focused on exit traffic. Thanks for the link, Aaudette.

>>I still believe quality content can be fitted w/ AdSense nicely and deliver >>revenue for publishers.

Yes, it can. However, I suspect the largest cheques are going to publishers who are heavily focused on exit traffic.

]]> By: aaudette http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1324 aaudette Wed, 20 Sep 2006 02:56:18 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1324 Ironically during the early days it was remarkable how AdSense was able to leverage quality content that normally wouldn't monetize. Now it's turned into a great way to monetize crap content! I still believe quality content can be fitted w/ AdSense nicely and deliver revenue for publishers. Personally, as I'm developing a couple new projects I'm constantly changing how / where / if I use AdSense on the site. With so many MFA sites snowing the Web AdSense could eventally deteriorate brand image on legit sites. Here's a useful post by Ken Evoy to the LED Digest title, "How AdSense Drives the Creation of Crap Sites": http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/918/172/. A few months old but very relevant to your write-up. Ironically during the early days it was remarkable how AdSense was able to leverage quality content that normally wouldn’t monetize. Now it’s turned into a great way to monetize crap content!

I still believe quality content can be fitted w/ AdSense nicely and deliver revenue for publishers. Personally, as I’m developing a couple new projects I’m constantly changing how / where / if I use AdSense on the site. With so many MFA sites snowing the Web AdSense could eventally deteriorate brand image on legit sites.

Here’s a useful post by Ken Evoy to the LED Digest title, “How AdSense Drives the Creation of Crap Sites”: http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/918/172/. A few months old but very relevant to your write-up.

]]> By: Peter Da Vanzo http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1318 Peter Da Vanzo Tue, 19 Sep 2006 04:20:49 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1318 SEM Basics - agreed. The producers of quality content need to be incentivised somehow. At present, the incentive seems to be to produce volume. SEM Basics - agreed. The producers of quality content need to be incentivised somehow.

At present, the incentive seems to be to produce volume.

]]> By: Peter Da Vanzo http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1317 Peter Da Vanzo Tue, 19 Sep 2006 04:17:54 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1317 Keentent - that is also true, and part of the point I was trying to make. The web drives down the value of content, yet the production cost remains the same. Rubbish content is cheap to produce, so offers high margin. Quality content is the reverse. The economics of push-button content are fantastic. The economics of thoughtful, quality content - less so. Keentent - that is also true, and part of the point I was trying to make.

The web drives down the value of content, yet the production cost remains the same. Rubbish content is cheap to produce, so offers high margin. Quality content is the reverse.

The economics of push-button content are fantastic. The economics of thoughtful, quality content - less so.

]]> By: SEM Basics http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1308 SEM Basics Sun, 17 Sep 2006 18:34:03 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1308 I sometimes wonder if as the web gets more sophisticated it will also get more commercialized at which point we will start to see content that we like more. It is true that one of the great things about the web is its democratic nature, but that doesn't necessarily lead to great content. Perhaps the problem is that we want great content without having to pay for it, and that may not be realistic (or at least, not entirely realistic). All the best, Moshe I sometimes wonder if as the web gets more sophisticated it will also get more commercialized at which point we will start to see content that we like more. It is true that one of the great things about the web is its democratic nature, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to great content. Perhaps the problem is that we want great content without having to pay for it, and that may not be realistic (or at least, not entirely realistic).

All the best,

Moshe

]]> By: Keentent » http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1306 Keentent » Sun, 17 Sep 2006 00:57:25 +0000 http://blog.v7n.com/2006/09/14/the-web-encourages-crap-content/#comment-1306 [...] Actually the web is full of crap content because it does pay - thanks to Google Adsense et al (ok there is no “et al” it is all Google’s fault). And content is bad enough when what is published is decided in a democratic/market driven fashion rather than by a benevolent “Editor” (Reality TV, tabloids etcetera). But when a spider named Google is deciding what is “published” (think exposed to users on the first page of search queries) and that spider is so easily gamed by shite content en masse then the Internet becomes the content cesspool it has of late. OK, always was, content was posited as King in the 90s but the money never came. It has started to now but now the gradual growth in decent content is being drown out by Adsense quicksand sites. The Web Encourages Crap Content [...] [...] Actually the web is full of crap content because it does pay - thanks to Google Adsense et al (ok there is no “et al” it is all Google’s fault). And content is bad enough when what is published is decided in a democratic/market driven fashion rather than by a benevolent “Editor” (Reality TV, tabloids etcetera). But when a spider named Google is deciding what is “published” (think exposed to users on the first page of search queries) and that spider is so easily gamed by shite content en masse then the Internet becomes the content cesspool it has of late. OK, always was, content was posited as King in the 90s but the money never came. It has started to now but now the gradual growth in decent content is being drown out by Adsense quicksand sites. The Web Encourages Crap Content [...]

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