Critics say user-generated networks like Bleacher Report are just SEO-driven content farms that generate “clickbait” posts designed to drive low-quality traffic — but they also provide the opportunity for writers to show their abilities without having to work their way through the traditional media ecosystem. Read more »
The Chicago Tribune has laid off most of its hyper-local unit and hired what some describe as a “content farm,” while other outlets are using content that is generated by algorithms. Is this the future of news, and if so should we be happy about it? Read more »
Plenty of people seem convinced the New York Times paywall is working. But what does that mean? Is the NYT getting readers to pay? Yes. But the long-term value of that is still an open question — and a paywall remains a fundamentally defensive strategy. Read more »
Digg has launched a new feature called Newswire that it hopes can make it a player again in the field of social news-sharing services — but after a disastrous redesign and the departure of its founder, can copycat features bring back any of Digg’s faded glory? Read more »
Demand Media says the latest changes to Google’s algorithm aren’t a big deal, even though they pushed its eHow unit down by as much as 65 percent, according to some estimates — but the reality is that Google is both Demand’s biggest partner and its biggest threat. Read more »
The first quarter of 2011 saw plenty of competition between various web companies — and some heated tension, too. Content farms generated the most debate, with Demand Media’s IPO attracting attention and controversy and Google making a major change to its ranking algorithm. Facebook, meanwhile, maintained its heavyweight status online, but this time the social network’s impact was centered on social search, unified communications and comment systems. And Facebook’s ongoing dominance raised the question, Is there room for more than one social network? If niche networks like Quora and Color are any indication, the answer is “yes.” Additional companies mentioned in this report include Twitter, Groupon, Microsoft, LinkedIn and MySpace. To see the full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google’s latest algorithm changes appear to be aimed directly at “content farms” such as Demand Media. Although the newly-public content company maintains that it won’t be affected by the changes, it seems obvious that Google is upping the ante in the content-farming game. Read more »
AOL’s recent acquisition of the Huffington Post for $315 million has centered a lot of attention on its content strategy — automating and standardizing content that attracts search-related advertising. While there are some clear benefits to this “content farm” approach to content, there are also significant disadvantages. Read more »
AOL’s recent acquisition of the Huffington Post for $315 million has centered a lot of attention on its content strategy — big part of which is automating and standardizing content that attracts search-related advertising. While there are some clear benefits to this “content farm” approach to content, there are also some significant disadvantages. Here we look at some of the leaders in this sector and their histories, as well as the key risks and benefits of the content farm strategy. Companies mentioned in this report include AOL, The Huffington Post, MySpace, Demand Media, Google and Associated Content. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google is concluding that if people are up in arms about its perceived declining search results, then it will let them get to work in helping refine its searches. Google announced a Chrome browser extension that lets users block sites from appearing in their search results. Read more »
With AOL, Demand Media and Yahoo all investing heavily in creating huge networks, “content farms” are clearly here to stay. But how far can they go? A team of journalists and computer scientists is conducting an experiment to see if the news can be completely automated. Read more »
Demand Media may have announced a successful IPO, but that didn’t quite dispel the air of controversy surrounding the company. But while Demand’s business model may be a little shaky, it’s worth monitoring for lessons in content creation efficiency and targeting, and for potential partnership opportunities. Read more »
Google has responded to criticism about the declining quality of its results by saying it plans to come down hard on so-called “content farms” that try to game its algorithm with low-quality pages. That could mean pain for Demand Media, which is planning a closely-watched IPO. Read more »
