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05.17.06
The Internet’s Volunteers Of America
 By
Alex Bard
Depending on your age, you may be a volunteer in today's U.S. Army or a volunteer member of the long ago glam-rockers KISS Army. But today, there's a good chance you are a volunteer of the Internet- one of the many users who provide content for the current giants of capitalism- all for free.
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo currently benefit greatly from the vast numbers of users who provide them with viable content for absolutely no remuneration.
There's nothing really different or shocking about this. But now the three leading search engines are incorporating this info into their general search engine results. And because 90% of all Web searches use one of the Big 3, the audience for this material will increase. This will attract more consumers to provide free content and that will attract more users who will provide even more free information….
For example, Yahoo Answers exists only because of this phenomenon. Just six months after it went online, Yahoo Answers has nearly 10 million searchable questions and answers. This sounds quite impressive and would have been impossible if not for the information provided by its fans for free.
Microsoft, Google and Yahoo are looking for ways to distinguish themselves from each other while still taking advantage of their fans' willingness to provide material.
"For many people, Web search is still difficult to master and find what they're looking for," said Eckart Walther, vice president of products at Yahoo Search. "By integrating, Yahoo is providing a better search experience by making it easier for users to tap into the collective knowledge of people for everyday questions."
The sites each want to be able to hone their search engines results to attract more viewers who spend more time there, which translates into increased ad revenue for the companies.
The Internet business intelligence company Hitwise provides figures that indicate this system of free content providers is very attractive to search engine users.
Google benefits from its users help with Google Video search and Google Base free classifieds.
Microsoft has indicated it will focus on search along with other Internet-delivered services, which will probably result in more do-it-yourself builds.
But there is a downside to this system- unreliable or intentionally phony submissions. The best-known example is probably the online created encyclopedia, Wikipedia. The use of its fake answers by some prominent (and apparently naïve) commentators led many people to call into question the accuracy of any info on the Internet.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss, and far less embarrassing.
About the Author:
Alex Bard is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. |
