Venting (was RE: search vs. content)

From: Brandi Jasmine <bj_at_brandijasmine.com>
Date: Mon 25 Jun 2001 11:36:12 -0500

MARCI DE VRIES <mdevries_at_turtlebackinteractive.com> WROTE:

>As a professional media buyer, I simply have to ask whether
>or not you are all kidding with this line of conversation.
>Is there a general lack of knowledge as to media buyers'
>criteria for site selection or do you all just need to
>vent? This sounds like venting <snip>

I can see why Yahoo gets away with charging more. What I
don't understand is the blinkered mind set of "professional
media buyers" who are right now helping the slaughter of
the secondary markets with their complete lack of interest
in smaller web sites. I have no problem with the fact that
I can't command as high a price as Yahoo, as I don't offer
the multi-acronymned toys and features you mentioned -
but I can't sell my inventory at ALL. It's to the point
where I am considering dropping advertising entirely from
my strategy.

Right now I have close to 200,000 page-views between the
three sites I manage and I am lucky to pull in 30-40$ a
quarter from the click-through aggregator I am with. If
I were a print publication with those numbers I'd be
laughing! As it is I am _quite_ aware I will need ten times
that number before you come knocking on my door - even if
you only buy 200,000 at a time!


The aggregators certainly DO have the tools you are so fond
of - but precious little of that income trickles down to us.
I often wonder what innovations in content development
would happen if professional media buyers were to
consciously decide to invest even 5% in smaller sites - if
only out of the "good corporate citizen" motivation. We are
right now quickly moving towards an Internet content
tri-opoly, where MSN, Yahoo and AOL together control over
50% of total web traffic - with the unexpressed complicity
of professional media buyers.

Please don't take this personally but "professional media
buyers" are about the most risk-avoidant, unimaginative
group of people working in a "creative" profession that I
have ever encountered. There are huge opportunities out here
outside the "Big 3" that they are all blissfully and
willfully ignorant of. Smaller sites may lack the bells and
whistles - but we are hungry for business, fond of trying
new ideas, and will often be a lot more flexible than a large
company. And I still think the ultimate effect - that
100,000 eyeballs on Astrology.ca is the same as 100,000
eyeballs on a Yahoo search for Astrology. I just think we'll
never be given the chance.

So yes, thank you for listening to my "venting" :) Glad you
noticed.

---

Brandi Jasmine - Writer, Photographer, Illustrator
www.brandijasmine.com - www.astrology.ca -
www.twostar.com -
bj_at_brandijasmine.com



Received on Mon Jun 25 2001 - 11:36:12 CDT