Four Foot Perspective

Yes, Reader is the start of an arms race but NOT between publishers and browser makers. Its an arms race between content creators and content consumers. While the validity of your claim that some people want sites broken up into many pages is shaky at best, you’re missing the point that having this type of ad revenue isn’t sustainable.

The major reason that this sort of ad revenue exists is because most content creators think its not their job to get the advertisers to WANT to advertise on your site. Your advertisers have no idea what your site is and does. You’re a number to them that google or your ad agency spits back to them.

Sites like Daring Fireball have in stream ads from companies that either John knows, has used, or can and does sincerely recommend. Very few, if any, readers complain about his ads. I, for one, look foreword to them. I’ve found many interesting products from reading them that I’ve bought.

However, I have never clicked a google adword, banner, or other flash ad and paid for anything. Most times, I don’t even see them as I’ve grown accustomed to just skipping right over any of that blue/grey text.

Now I’m sure John spends quite a bit of time finding sponsors for his site and checking to see if the product is something he wants to get behind. But he’s not the only one that does this. Leo Laporte has been doing this for years with his entire network. And guess what, I’ve bought products he’s recommended through ads as well. While both may have some dry spots when getting quality advertisers was hard, they both made it through and now seem to have a rather steady flow of revenue because their advertisers have seen the benefit of having a spokesperson/endorsement over just a google adword buy.

I know these sites are expensive to keep running and its even harder if you’re trying to live off the revenues from it. I just don’t believe that’s an excuse to promote horrible design behavior and assault your readers with ads. Mostly, because there is quite a bit of proof out there that it doesn’t have to be this way.