Fred Wilson: Take Weblogs Inc for example. Everyone knows Jason Calacanis and he certainly is a controversial figure. But how can you not be impressed with what he's built on a Blogging 2.0 platform in less than two years.
http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2005/06/blogging_10_con.html
Randy: Although Weblogs Inc. has done well, I wonder if a business model of having more ads on a Webpage than content can actually succeed. I myself read therssweblog, but with each new day I find more ads on the site, more ads embedded in the content and more content that is really just ads. This is very similar to the about.com model, which seems to play well for the mundane Internet user who doesn't seem to mind clicking on ads all day and obviously it works, just ask the NYTimes. So long as enough A-list bloggers keep linking to his blogs, he'll be fine.
Dang, I hate it when I double sig.
Randy
Randy
However, "Best of WIN" isn't an advertisement... it's a post which showcases the best stories in our network of sites. It's promotional perhaps, but not an advertisement. All ads are clearly labeled as ads.
Best of WIN has been great for our blogs... we're getting people introduced to content by bloggers they've never heard about every day...it's amazing. Especially for our smaller, niche blogs that are building an audience.
best j
Randy