Agree on the main point of the article, but it’s really a chicken-egg question. One would not exist without the other.

Though Google (like Yahoo, Microsoft, and others) has made many improvements over the years to the basic model, GoTo.com’s “bid on words” was truly revolutionary.

Without GoTo, Google would have been “gone-gone” years ago.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/bartonspringssalamander/

I now have to spend 5 minutes trying to figure out what the Barton Springs Salamander in Austin is …. stuck in my head.

It is a fish right? lol

That is so true.

Andrew’s point is on the money. Adwords was not new but just an extension of what we already had.

You are right as the impact on ecommerce from Adwords is enormous however the idea of people making money online from Google has driven 10,000′s of people to create some of the most loved and content worthy blogs and websites around. One could even make an argument the web would never be as full of content if Google never opened up Adsense.

It is this content that continues to help small business and companies find new clients not Google. Google is merely the godly tool we use to find content but without content there is no use for Google.

Providing an additional advertising outlet to small companies and global giants may add to the GDP quite nicely however making dreams come true for entrepreneurs worldwide has inspired not just this generation but teens and seniors alike.

Giving GM another ad spot may sell a few more cars but having a story of a how 12 year old can make 10k a month online writing about war games … well, thats why Adsense was far more important than Adwords.

Dreams inspire content.