More Bloggers Raising Money. Here Comes The Politics. In the area of “everything’s gone a little crazy” it seems venture capitalists are investing in bloggers. Here’s a really interesting post about why this might not be a good thing as it potentially disrupts the friendly ecosystem by putting in place a environment of competition. Or something like that. I’ve been approached with an offer along these lines (not VC but blogging for dollars) so this is pertinent to me. More on that as it develops. via Ewan
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About this site
In June 2000 I started blogging at peteashton.com and 10 years later in June 2010 I decided to stop. Blogging here, that is. I started a clean slate over on I Am Pete Ashton and maintain all manner of other web presences which are all listed here along with my contact details.
You probably came here via a Google search or from following a link on some old blog post somewhere. I hope what you find is useful in some way, though do check the publication date - it might be rather old now.
Thanks for your eyeballs.
Pete Ashton
It seems that a lot of people are looking at the Internet as a money making machine. Not only are three major UK ISP’s now ‘in bed’ with Phorm (formally 121media, a notorious spyware/adware distributor) but also the Guardian and MySpace have signed up with Phorm.
When your revenue stream is based on delivering an audience for the advertisers (provided by the helpful folks at Phorm) then you may be increasingly tempted to tow the line set by Phorm.
Adbusters recently lost their case demanding the right to buy TV advertising slots. If Phorm is allowed to spread then independant voices online may well be squeezed out in the same way they have been expunged from the mainstream media (TV, Radio, Newspapers).
Phorm hardware and software, coded in Russia, installed in your ISP, will profile your online data stream and send that data to be held on Phorm servers in China. Web users will be profiled and targeted by adverts in ways that has not been possible before.
If mainstream online media providers (like the Guardian) are in bed with Phorm, and increasing numbers of Bloggers chose to ‘take the Kings shilling’ and blog-for-cash then maybe the future for internet users is a little less bright.