SCN: hmmm

[J. Johnson]

I agree that all this is largely irrelevant to SCN--our bills are small
enough that we can live off of the altruistic fat of the land.  Which is
why I maintain that the argument that was presented is clearer if more
specifically focused, such as on web search services.

I don't believe that the use of "private, proprietary classification
systems" is relevant here.  The essence of the issue is not whether us
freeloaders can access the data that someone has compiled that effectively
indexes the Web--it's whether there is any data to start with.  Building
those databases requires a heavy investment in computers, Internet access,
and system administration.  If advertisers won't pay those bills, who
will?

It should be noted that, truly, "There Ain't No Free Lunch".  SCN has
"free" Internet access, etc., because we have "sold" various people into
providing it.  Essentially, we sell an idea.  Others sell advertising.  It
appears there is more money to be had selling advertising than ideas.

=== JJ =============================================================

On Fri, 25 May 2001, Doug Schuler wrote:

> 
> It is an interesting question -- how are search engines
> financed.  Unfortunately (for us) search engines are
> in almost all cases *commercial* entities and, hence,
> are subject to the same forces as other commercial
> entities.   I don't claim to know all the details but
> there is evidence of dropping competitor's information
> from a search engine's database or of having people pay
> to get their information to the top in a query.  Also,
> since search engines use private, proprietary classification
> systems (unlike public libraries, for example, which use
> a public system [like Dewey Decimal] which ALL people can use,
> we have little oversight or ability to plug into it.
> 
> -=- Doug
> 
> But, all of this is more or less irrelvant to SCN.  Having
> advertisements support SCN sounds unworkable and almost
> totally contrary to our mission and principles.
> 
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> 
> On Fri, 25 May 2001, J. Johnson wrote:
> 
> > On Tue, 22 May 2001, Doug Schuler wrote:
> > 
> > > I wanted to add my two cents.
> > > 
> > > We see far too many ads already and, in my opinion, it's the
> > > ads and the commercialization that are killing / will kill the
> > > Internet.  If ads are the answer then what the heck is the question!
> > 
> > The basic question is:  how are "free" services to be financed?
> > 
> > I think the argument raised in the original article would have been much
> > clearer if it had focused more specifically on, say, how are search
> > engines to be financed.  E.g., who will pay Altavista's bills?  If not the
> > advertisers, then who?
> > 
> > === JJ =============================================================
> > 
> > 
> 
> 

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