search engine domination

[LowryBigwood]

Originally Posted by eman

Google (Live, Yahoo and others) could very easily forge direct relationships with porn producers/distributors and totally eliminate the linklist/tgp/directory model (they may already be preparing to do so).

I am not following your logic. Google does not need to cut out the webmaster, it would be suicidal IMO. I am of the belief that the search engines need us just like we need them.

Originally Posted by eman

The advantages to the producing businesses are obvious. Most obviously, Google (or whoever) could guarantee a precisely measured flow of highly convertible traffic to the producer's sites. Measure this against the effectiveness of the hit-or-miss affiliate model.

They could also just buy a popular adult portal and then feed it with lots of traffic or they could run their own adwords ads to adult sponsors... Then they don't kill off all the webmasters and their own company at the same time.

Originally Posted by eman

I suspect that Google (and the other big SEs), merely tolerate the presence of Link-o-rama, DD, Tommy or whoever. When the time is ripe they will drop all porn-promoting sites at a stroke. After a week or two nobody will notice that they've gone.

I suspect you are mistaken on this one.

Originally Posted by eman

PS - since linklists/tgps/direcories have a purely commercial objective there's no logical reason for a commercial search engine (Google etc) to give them any credence - let alone prominence.

You won't find many websites that are purely non-commercial. Even mainstream information based sites are running ads of some sort whether it be affiliate products or contextual ads. The search engines are not against us making money, unless you know something I do not?