>Just testing out a few ideas here. I am now of the
>opinion that within the next 18 months or so we are
>going to see a massive change in emphasis in the way
>we navigate the web.

>Only this evening I was met with a pop-up advertisement
>on Infoseek. Yahoo appears to have virtually closed the
>doors on anything but sponsors of some kind, and Excite
>appears to be simply buying up the best of the rest!

>Are the days of a free Internet coming to a close? I
>distinctly think so.

>By that I am not saying that we will have to pay to
>get listed - just that we will be ranked bottom of the
>pile if we don't.

>Now, this opens the door to an entirely new style of
>Search Engine. For some months now I have been monitoring
>the number of specialised search engines and directories
>that are popping up. And, believe me they are appearing
>at an incredible rate.

>Would our advertising dollars be better spent on a
>specialised directory or in the designated topic for our
>site in Yahoo, for instance?

>My research (for what it is worth) shows a higher level
>of click-throughs from my listings on smaller, more
>specialised sites than I have received from Infoseek,
>Excite or Yahoo - individually that is.

>Now, don't get me wrong, a good listing on any of these
>sites is worth it's weight in gold, but when you consider
>the expotential growth of the Internet and compare this
>to the number of hits, the increase is minimal.

>Alternatively, the increase in hits from smaller,
>specialised directories is far higher than the percentage
>increase of Internet users.

>Are we utilising smaller sites rather than large
>directories? Are we becoming more experienced in the way
>navigate the web?

>I would be interested to hear your opinions on this and the
>following...

>If there were a search engine you could visit to find
>information on online marketing, advertising, forums,
>associate programs, CGI scripts, html etc. would you use it
>for searching these particular topics in preference to the
>larger more established search engines?

>If we were to launch such a search engine and invite you to
>participate in forums, discussions and regular chat meetings
>with guest speakers, again would you use it?

>If we were to offer you preferred listings in exchange for
>your word to introduce this service to your friends and
>associates, would you be interested?

>I hope that these questions open up a useful discussion on
>what I believe to be the future of the Internet.

>Always at your assistance.

>Paul Graham

>Editor of the Advance Newsletter
>'mailto:subscribe@advance.to'