Death knell for quality content?

[john -at- garisons -dot- com]

I saw this article today about Helium.com and the fact that they are
paying just about anyone who submits articles.

Article: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080324/D8VJU81G0.html

And when I came across this, I was incredulous:

<snippet>
The truth is, however, that the material doesn't always have to be all
that good.

Mike Bell, CEO of Software.com, an online buyers guide, has purchased more
than 80 pieces about software from Helium writers. Most of these items are
less than 200 words. While some have iffy grammar or stylistic
limitations, Bell finds that these low-priced nuggets are better for
Software.com's purposes (his site, too, needs lots and lots of content
that generates ad revenue) than polished 1,000-word articles from
experienced freelancers.

"Our view is that consumers are not that particular," Bell said. "They
would rather hear firsthand accounts from a (software) user, even if the
quality is not that high."
</snippet>

Is this really what we are going to start getting? Content is king ... but
if people really believe that crappy content is just as good as quality
content, we are in a heap of trouble.


My 2¢,

John G



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