What is Quality Content and What Are the Implications of Creating and Delivering It

Mr. Learmonth states in, "Lowered Expectations: Web Redefines 'Quality'," Associated Content has a library of approximately "2 million pieces of content optimized for search." At the time he wrote his article this approximation was correct, but on March 1, 2010 Associated Content published its 2 millionth piece of online content. In any event, I take exception to his innuendo that makes it sound as if all of the pieces of content on Associated Content are optimized for search. I will restate that though Associated Content is in the business of providing discoverable content, they allow their Contributors to publish content in a variety of formats that may or may not be optimized for search. For example, this article itself was intended to answer Mr. Beatty's call to debate. However, it was written with no attempt to make it more searchable. The words were selected, because I felt that they were the most representative of my thoughts and not because they were key words or likely to be found by the Google god.

Mr. Learmonth is dead on about Google being in a unique position. Obviously, they are primarily a search engine. Not only are they a search engine, but they are the search engine that holds the most market share and thus is the monstrance that companies bow down before on bended knee. I say this, because searching by definition means looking for something. On the internet that means looking for content. This content can be text, images, video or audio. Google determines how things are found. Accordingly, those companies that are in the business of providing discoverable content need to figure out how to make Google and to a lesser extent other search engines discover their content. However, as I stated before, not all content is created with the intent to be searched or discovered. It may be created as a means of self expression or perhaps designed to reach out to a select audience. Associated Content gratefully allows this kind of content on their site even though it may not be the most searchable or easily monetized.

I would agree with Mr. Keane's assessment that there is a transition in play as to how people are willing to accept information. With access to so much information immediately accessible to them, people rely less on the so called experts to disseminate it though their filtering hands. I believe that while there are those people that may or not understand the fact or fiction in what they read, there are people that understand what reliable content means to them. Reliable content is quality content. It is important that those at are involved in the business of producing content, whether they are the individual content producer or the executives of the publishing platform, deliver the content that is promised. For if content fails to serve its function people will look elsewhere for their information. For example; if I am looking for a joke or a laugh and I visit a particular site, I need to find something funny there. If I don't find something that is humorous, the chances diminish that I will voluntarily come back. I believe that in general if particular sites and specific producers deliver the content that is desired, people will come back to view their content again.

To his credit, Mr. Learmonth captures some wonderful quotations in his article. I close by taking a closer examination at some of these statements from people that most certainly will influence the business of determining how online media is to be discovered in the days to come. Here are those quotations that Mr. Learmonth provides to the readers of his article:

"I think we are in the first stages of defining what quality is for the internet," said AOL CEO Tim Armstrong. "Today, on the internet, you make a choice of speed over quality, but in the future you won't have to make that choice -- you will get quality at speed."

"Creating content for the web is an art and a science. There has been a lot of talk now about the science," said Break.com CEO Keith Richman. "Those guys studying the science of it will be forced eventually to focus on the art of it."

"People have a greater degree of comfort with information from sources they aren't familiar with," said Patrick Keane, CEO of Associated Content, which has published nearly 2 million pieces of content optimized for search. "To me, quality is moving toward a center of usefulness as opposed to that arbitered by a group of professionals."

In analyzing these statements it is clear that providing individuals with quality content will continue as a work in progress. Ultimately, success will be gauged by the ability of content providers to provide reliable content that is specific to the individual in the shortest amount of time. That does not mean that quality content is not online now. It also does that mean quality content can only exist on pre-defined online platforms and sites. In the end, providing real quality content will dictate who wins out. When people search and discover reliable content, that is defined as a successful experience. The more successful experiences an online platform or an individual content producer can create, the more likely people will gravitate towards them. It is there in those closest approximations of true quality and reliability is where advertiser should want to be. I believe online advertising campaigns will enjoy the most success are those that align themselves as closely as possible to a successful and search discovery experience.

This is a response to Michael Learmonth's article; "Lowered Expectations: Web Redefines 'Quality' " that was originally published in Advertising Age, and republished by The Business Insider:
http://www.businessinsider.com/lowered-expectations-web-redefines-quality-2010

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=142235

www.associatedcontent.com