Blasting Demand Media is to be expected from the mainstream media.
Demand Media’s biggest weakness might not be its reliance on Google for much of its profit (both through search traffic and ad revenue). It’s that the mainstream media will never give it any love.
In just the past couple days, Fortune wrote a scathing article while CNN named the company one of the 10 biggest tech “fails” of 2010.
These articles focus mostly on Demand Media’s eHow web site. They make some fair points about the business model and the quality of content, which often times is lacking in quality.
But all articles by the mainstream media blasting Demand Media need to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, the authors have a grudge against the company. They feel that its model (including paying authors about $15 an article) threatens their livelihood.
So while there may be some holes in the company’s business model, don’t expect to get unbiased coverage from the media.
And so is a micro-example of the truth about the world. Oil industry will fight electric cars and put the politicians and media in their pocket. A company that makes tanks is never going to be questioned how they use so much gas in a war that’s not fought with tanks… where they fight in areas without a road!!
Nothing you read in the news is the real story.
No surprise that a domainer is a demand homer. I seriously doubt that anyone at wired, fortune or cnn is worried about being replaced by any of demand’s $15 a story (ahem) writers.
They are churning out bs articles using some algorithm that they created. I mean seriously “How to Put On A Speedo” and here is an excerpt from my favorite helpful Story entitled “How to Buy Canadian Molson”:
To buy a case of Molson Canadian cans or bottles, you should visit the nearest store that sells alcohol and stocks Molson products. You can call the store to make sure they have the lager in stock before actually going.
WOW that was helpful, surely that was not created to show adsense ads. Incredimail got their adsense account suspended a few years ago and the stock got crushed, so demand may be going down the same path.
I mean seriously “How to Put On A Speedo”
http://www.ehow.com/how_4894103_put-speedo.html
LOL.
Thanks. Like the Old Spice commercial said, “I needed that.
“on 7/26/2009 i can’t believe some wrote this how to
Well, as we’re here perhaps you could help me with a little problem i have
when i wake in the morning what is the correct procedure for opening my eyes
lol
Demand Media are the masters of garbage content.
Disclosures
The author(s) of this site are generally bullish on the domain name industry and own stocks in several publicly traded domain name companies. Ownership of these stocks does not affect coverage of the companies on the site.
@ dave – I can’t own any stock in Demand Media. It’s not public 🙂
“It’s that the mainstream media will never give it any love.”
Virtually all their $ traffic is from Google so any pres is good press, as long as they link.
How to put on Speedos in 5 easy steps. LOL
Brad
How about How to Buy a Speedo – http://www.ehow.com/how_2126446_buy-speedo.html
“Get a pair of Speedos that have a fully lined front. You are not going to want to put your package on display for everyone to see. Choose a lined suit instead to hide your privates.”
How could anyone defend this crap content?
Brad
Guys, clearly there’s some bad content on eHow. I can’t defend (and have no motive) to defend some of those articles. (Although keep in mind people are searching for those topics, that’s why they write about them.)
I’m just pointing out that a lot of journalists have a grudge against the company for their belief that it’s pushing down wages.
Don’t you agree that the financial news
media has an obligation to report
information about good and bad IPOs?
Just because the financial news media
might be threatened by ‘content farms’
like DemandMedia, doesn’t excuse them
from reporting IPO data and analysis.
@ Meyer – it’s absolutely their responsibility. Just pointing out an obvious angle many journalists are coming from.
Low quality content isn’t an added value to the Internet and wrong bring revenue on a long term for Demand media.
The real issue is to get the best quality as possible and to pay the ***exact*** price for it, and the only solution is…
revenue sharing !
“Don’t you agree that the financial news
media has an obligation to report
information about good and bad IPOs?”
By and large, the news media these days has an obligation to churn out content in order to sell advertising.
Oh, wait…
““Get a pair of Speedos that have a fully lined front. You are not going to want to put your package on display for everyone to see. Choose a lined suit instead to hide your privates.”
How could anyone defend this crap content?”
Brad, no one is going to want to see that in your Speedo either.
“Brad, no one is going to want to see that in your Speedo either.”
*chuckle!*
Demand did find an angle to exploit and are exploiting it. More power to them for doing it on a scale that they think they can afford.
On the value of eHow content: People are searching for answers and info all the time. I tell people that eHow gives you slightly better answers to those questions than your average friend. They are the answer to the less socially connected among us perhaps. The smartest person I know does not have all the answers even when I can get the bastard on the line.
Social Media will never replace Google for this kind of search activity imo. So as long as the people are searching, Google will need concise and relevant content to refer searchers to.
I guess what I am saying is that I see a real value equation between Demand and Google, visa via how Demand makes money via SEO of their content, and I do not see it dying anytime soon. Disrupted yes, but not killed.
As to Demands’s financial reporting, which supposedly is at the heart of the main stream media’s carping on Demand of late, since when the hell did the media ever give a rats ass about the accuracy of financial reporting in real time? Better late than never I suppose. I suspect it’s also a bit of a an herd movement about capitalizing on the chance to blow out someones birthday candles, who the media think has gotten too much press positive attention (up until now of course). And we all know professional writers are not happy about a company making millions and potentially Billions by paying lesser skilled or well off writers subsistence wages.
Seems that when (Demand) drift netted the sea for low wage writers to create content, and then filed an IPO, they stirred the waters a little more than they should have, and got the big game fish riled up, who then decided to make Demand (specifically the IPO) their prey. Metaphorically speaking of course. 🙂