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Well I got online around 98ish so I've been around for a while and seen close to around 25 years worth of development, which I'd say is the majority of the webs

Well I got online around 98ish so I've been around for a while and seen close to around 25 years worth of development, which I'd say is the majority of the webs lifespan. And I re-iterate, whatever and however many sites there were knocking around on the early internet pale in comparison to the breadth of sites and information that came onto the web fueled by ads when people realised they could fund their hobbies and write about topics they loved at the same time. It's really very simple, if you can literally get paid to write on your website, you will write more. You will hire people to write with you. This is common sense and it will vastly outpace the output of the contingent who simply wish to write for the sake of it. Ads supercharged the webs development and I see nothing that could've replaced them, I say that as someone who's never been involved in the ad industry.

notacoward 4y ago
> the breadth of sites and information that came onto the web fueled by ads Confuse correlation with causation much? The internet has certainly grown, but not just because of ads. In some ways it has shrunk because of ads. Innumerable forums and blogs and even social-media sites like MySpace were shunted aside as VC- and ad-funded walled gardens like Facebook became dominant. That's a loss (and I say that as someone who worked at Facebook for a while). As I said, the volume has increased but the creativity hasn't. I'll take ten truly creative people over a hundred YouTube or TikTok "influencer" types any day. > if you can literally get paid to write on your website, you will write more. You will hire people to write with you. This is common sense It makes me sad when I see people who can't even imagine a motive other than profit. Seems particularly common here, and I've learned not to engage with such. Have a nice day.
JohnFen 4y ago
> It's really very simple, if you can literally get paid to write on your website, you will write more And most of what people write in order to get ad revenue is pure garbage. And even the stuff that isn't garbage is constrained by what advertisers approve of.

notacoward 4y ago

> the breadth of sites and information that came onto the web fueled by ads Confuse correlation with causation much? The internet has certainly grown, but not just because of ads. In some ways it has shrunk because of ads. Innumerable forums and blogs and even social-media sites like MySpace were shunted aside as VC- and ad-funded walled gardens like Facebook became dominant. That's a loss (and I say that as someone who worked at Facebook for a while). As I said, the volume has increased but the creativity hasn't. I'll take ten truly creative people over a hundred YouTube or TikTok "influencer" types any day. > if you can literally get paid to write on your website, you will write more. You will hire people to write with you. This is common sense It makes me sad when I see people who can't even imagine a motive other than profit. Seems particularly common here, and I've learned not to engage with such. Have a nice day.

JohnFen 4y ago

> It's really very simple, if you can literally get paid to write on your website, you will write more And most of what people write in order to get ad revenue is pure garbage. And even the stuff that isn't garbage is constrained by what advertisers approve of.