Web guru Dennis Gaskill has launched a blistering attack on the current state of internet advertising and warned that it may herald the end of free content.

In an article on his web developer's site, boogiejack, he blames advertisers, web site owners and internet surfers for the 'abysmal state' of the web.

"Advertisers have gone from overly generous with unrealistic sales expectations to downright cheap, and they still have few clues as to how to regard advertising on the internet," he says.

"They started off like kids in a candy shop. With unbridled optimism, they threw incredible sums of money at web site owners. When results didn't match the frenzy they had worked themselves into, they said 'it doesn't work'.

"Now they want to pay like a cheap affiliate program and expect the world from the web site owners. They want to pay pennies for thousands of ad displays, or don't want to pay for ad displays at all, but instead want to pay for click-throughs or even just for sales only. In essence, they want the web site owner to bear the cost burden of their ad campaign. That's ridiculous. They don't tell television and radio stations, magazines, newspapers, or any other media that they will pay per inquiry."

And Mr Gaskill points out that, by advertising on the web, companies also develop their 'brand' - something they are prepared to pay good money for in any other medium.

But his criticism is not just reserved for advertisers. He says that web site owners have capitulated to their demands and allowed the current situation to develop. He also likens surfers to 'spoiled children, who expect everything for free'.

"They ignore ads even on their favorite sites," he says. "They want all the free content they can eat, but do nothing to help support the suppliers of that content.

"Even worse, many surfers use ad blocking software and take away what few pennies the web site owner does earn from advertisers. Keep that up and one day you'll find all the useful free content gone. Everything except home pages will be pay as you go. If you don't let the advertisers pay for the free content you enjoy, you'll soon find it won't be free and you'll have to pay or do without for anything and everything.

"It will be the end of the Internet as you know it, and it's already started. Some sites have moved to pay-for-content models, search engines are charging for listings, and a good many sites have simply closed up shop. You don't have to look far into the past to see the trends of the future."

His views were echoed by internet writer Anna Wang. Writing in OnlineJournalism.com, she says: "Our privilege of getting everything for nothing in cyberspace seems to be slowly fading away as more and more web content providers shut the door to our online freeloading.

"Following on the heels of other net content providers, such as Variety, Salon and, recently, Inside Content, Media General Inc. will begin charging subscription fees for newspaper sites."

And a new survey shows how accustomed people have become to getting online content for free. The study, by the Consumer Electrics Association in the US, found that nearly 90 per cent of surfers said they would oppose paying for web access. Seventy-five per cent said they opposed paying sales tax for items purchased online. The study drew nearly 2,000 respondents.

For more information, see www.boogiejack.com/free_content003.html, www.onlinejournlism.com, and www.ce.org

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