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I'd agree, but isn't it somewhat unrealistic to expect companies to operate altruistically in a market where you have to dumb down writing in order to maximize

by ssharp 15y ago

I'd agree, but isn't it somewhat unrealistic to expect companies to operate altruistically in a market where you have to dumb down writing in order to maximize profit on a large scale? I wouldn't want to operate a business the way AOL does or the way Demand Media does, but if there is such a huge area of Google and search engines available for gaming, it's going to be gamed. There is too much incentive for some entity not to step in and profit.

AlisdairO 15y ago
Right, but nobody (well, probably a few people...) is asking human nature to change, much as we might find it distressing. I'd instead advocating changing the rules of the system to encourage actual value as opposed to the parasitic value generated by these articles. (getting on a soapbox here) I think it's easy to forget that we don't use the capitalist system because it is somehow morally right and pure - it's because so far as we know, it's what works best to motivate people to generate real value for humanity as a whole. If the system stops working, then you tweak it - which is why we have regulation on things like monopolies, for example. In this case, google has changed the system for us, and for that I'm very glad - incentives are now more aligned with producing quality content that's actually useful to someone.