The changing value of information

Volume 17, Number 1 • January 2000

The changing value of information — In the low-end information market, traditional models are reversing
by Paul Blake

ONLINE INSIGHTS column focuses on what happens when information is no longer valued primarily as a source of knowledge, but rather for its ability to bring traffic to a Web site. Says that this is fast becoming the reality at the low end of the news and financial information market. Reports that Targets Moreover.com, which takes headlines from 1,500 sources on the Web and distributes them as an aggregated news feed to 3,500 sites and for its part, does not get its money from delivering content to readers, but from delivering readers to content. Notes that the company's very existence points to a shift in business models at the low end of the information market away from the concept of charging for content. Points out that publishers have to be nimble and ready to jettison old business models rapidly if they are to stay ahead of the game.