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This is the modus operandi for basically every web 2.0 company. I think never before in history has there been such a large number of businesses springing up an

This is the modus operandi for basically every web 2.0 company. I think never before in history has there been such a large number of businesses springing up and carrying on blithely with no idea how they're going to make money.

unalone 18y ago
It's because they were told sometime in the last decade that you could make a site profitable through ads alone. Because it worked for Google so incredibly. They forgot that Google works because they target massively relevant ads to people who are looking for links to begin with. Interestingly enough, Facebook's revenue plan involves making money off of Live Search ads, as of the last month or so. Essentially, they're ripping off Google as honestly as they can: by emulating them. I'm interested in seeing how they'll fight against embedded Google search: that's their huge competitor right now.
alaskamiller 18y ago
Is there something inherently wrong with this?
- river_styx 18y ago
  I don't see anything inherently wrong, really. It's just strange that, given the point of starting a business is to make money, there would be so many businesses out there running along seemingly without much concern as to revenue. If your aim is to build a large user base and flip, that's fine, but keep in mind that it's an unsustainable business model. It's basically a crapshoot.
  - alaskamiller 18y ago
    Again, what is strange about that? There's hundreds of variations to end a chess game as there are hundreds of variations to make a business work. If you're already determined to be an entrepreneur you wouldn't be a stranger to crapshoots and experimentation.
    - river_styx 18y ago
      I'm not saying that one person taking on an extreme high risk endeavor is strange. Happens all the time. What's strange is that such a huge cluster of people are doing it. The anomaly is the multiplicity of the occurrence, not the occurrence itself.
      - alaskamiller 18y ago
        It should be applauded. Free market. Good things bubble up and stay alive. Their personal choice in allocating their labor. Good for everyone. Blah blah. All that jazz. <3
biohacker42 18y ago
I think never before in history has there been such a large number of businesses springing up and carrying on blithely with no idea how they're going to make money. Ahem... web 1.0

unalone 18y ago

It's because they were told sometime in the last decade that you could make a site profitable through ads alone. Because it worked for Google so incredibly. They forgot that Google works because they target massively relevant ads to people who are looking for links to begin with. Interestingly enough, Facebook's revenue plan involves making money off of Live Search ads, as of the last month or so. Essentially, they're ripping off Google as honestly as they can: by emulating them. I'm interested in seeing how they'll fight against embedded Google search: that's their huge competitor right now.

alaskamiller 18y ago

Is there something inherently wrong with this?

river_styx 18y ago
I don't see anything inherently wrong, really. It's just strange that, given the point of starting a business is to make money, there would be so many businesses out there running along seemingly without much concern as to revenue. If your aim is to build a large user base and flip, that's fine, but keep in mind that it's an unsustainable business model. It's basically a crapshoot.
- alaskamiller 18y ago
  Again, what is strange about that? There's hundreds of variations to end a chess game as there are hundreds of variations to make a business work. If you're already determined to be an entrepreneur you wouldn't be a stranger to crapshoots and experimentation.
  - river_styx 18y ago
    I'm not saying that one person taking on an extreme high risk endeavor is strange. Happens all the time. What's strange is that such a huge cluster of people are doing it. The anomaly is the multiplicity of the occurrence, not the occurrence itself.
    - alaskamiller 18y ago
      It should be applauded. Free market. Good things bubble up and stay alive. Their personal choice in allocating their labor. Good for everyone. Blah blah. All that jazz. <3

biohacker42 18y ago

I think never before in history has there been such a large number of businesses springing up and carrying on blithely with no idea how they're going to make money. Ahem... web 1.0