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I think the point is not that you'd get an objectively "best answer" from that type of query. NFTs are an odd example here, so let's use 3D printers instead fo

I think the point is not that you'd get an objectively "best answer" from that type of query. NFTs are an odd example here, so let's use 3D printers instead for the boutique search example. I found a lot more value when looking at 3D printing forum discussions from passionate hobbyists to see their opinions about the best printers on the market for various needs, compared to a search engine. In this case, the curators would be the forum moderators who would need to do the work weeding out obvious shills and misinformation. Presumably this moderation would be increasingly difficult if more people make their purchasing decisions like this and businesses respond with more astroturfing. For something like NFT (or investing in stocks or real estate or anything), I'm not sure there will ever be a good answer for that because the super obvious conflict of interest. "It just so happens that the NFT/Stock I hold is the best investment" is not really interesting or useful and would be terribly difficult or impossible to weed out.

ethbr0 4y ago
The issue is that {total available revenue}<<{cost of curation time} for most niche search space. It's the Consumer Reports problem: if people need your service rarely, and it's only worth a modest amount of money, then it's impossible to balance the books. And we're just talking different flavors of Ponzi schemes if we're trying to design a system where available revenue doesn't cover costs. I remember pre-Google, when it was an open question as to whether curated directories or search engines would be the dominant form. Turns out, the former when signal>>noise (early web) and the latter when signal<<noise (current web). Reddit is a gamified answer to a fundamental imbalancing of profit: convince people to do valuable work for free, pay them in karma/gold stars/Monopoly money, and then sell that work (without having to pay its fair market value). And for profitable search curation niches, there are already solutions. F.ex. Bloomberg makes $10B of revenue off one.

ethbr0 4y ago

The issue is that {total available revenue}<<{cost of curation time} for most niche search space. It's the Consumer Reports problem: if people need your service rarely, and it's only worth a modest amount of money, then it's impossible to balance the books. And we're just talking different flavors of Ponzi schemes if we're trying to design a system where available revenue doesn't cover costs. I remember pre-Google, when it was an open question as to whether curated directories or search engines would be the dominant form. Turns out, the former when signal>>noise (early web) and the latter when signal<<noise (current web). Reddit is a gamified answer to a fundamental imbalancing of profit: convince people to do valuable work for free, pay them in karma/gold stars/Monopoly money, and then sell that work (without having to pay its fair market value). And for profitable search curation niches, there are already solutions. F.ex. Bloomberg makes $10B of revenue off one.