Google Adsense: The Money Ghost

Transforming Content into Money

You must have noticed, most pop-up ads on the Internet have been replaced by ads from the Google service adsense. They easily allow people to gain money from a site. The site views are counted and then, per thousand views you get the amount of money the person who bought the space for advertising has paid. (Also per click on the advertisement) Google takes a very small sum for setting up the ad. This means that now every page-view suddenly turned into a money transaction. The Internet turns into a mechanism that shifts money faster even than the bank transaction of swift (the company that handles most bank transactions in the world).

Google adsense keeps growing and controls more and more sites every second. Other than bank transactions, these Google ads are accessible. You can both place ads and you can buy ads. This means that in fact it is not so hard to generate money from nothing. After all, if you buy one ad and guide that ad to another site, which has five ads, you'll transform your site into a money machine. The only problem with this is content. You need content to sustain the healthy flux of traffic online. If there is no traffic, there is no money. Which means that Google, as with most of its other services, has transformed traffic and therefore content into money. What those companies buy is investment of time and effort. They buy your effort, which is sold by Google.

Where Does the Money Come From?

What we established in the former chapter still holds true now and we can easily use to think where the money comes from. In the case of the moneymaking website (have one Google adsense guide people to a website with multiple ads, therefore making money), one still needs a single click. You need the person who clicked your initial ad, to click at least one of the ads on your website. That is where the content comes in again. You need content to trap the visitor. This content can be forums, articles, jokes and so on. But that doesn't explain how this website can generate money. Now the money comes from the unexpected clicker. He works to feed the machine and does so for free. Sometimes he or she enjoys it, sometimes they don't. Every article you read, every click you make, feeds the machine.

Good Internet Versus Bad Internet

Most people surf on the Internet either to get information or for enjoyment. Game sites give you fun in return for your investment. The same can be said for all the entertainment sites, be there pornographic sites, funny sites, stories online and so on. Other sites like Wikipedia, travel sites like Trifter give you information. Those are the "good" sites. I will not go into the moral of certain sites, but they still give people what they want. The "bad" sites however are the ones that don't grant you information, the ones who lure you in and rob you of your time and investment, just for the sake of gaining content and therefore money. Sites that link you into loops, sites that give you the hint of content, but contain nothing more and so on.

How to Add to the Money Ghost

By commenting on forums. By buying things from companies that advertise online. By setting up websites for any reason whatsoever.

How to Extract from the Money Ghost?

Some websites like Triond, associated content, and others pay you for your contribution to the Internet. They give you money for your time and effort. Of course they demand a piece of the cake for doing so, but still they don't rob you, they give you a choice. (Employment)

Those with bad morals can find ways in the bad Internet section above. Yes it is also way. You can also hack the system and try to extract money that way (thievery)

You can set up a business of content yourself. Start with a website, add ads and gain money. (Entrepreneur)

Use the Internet in daily life by selling it offline. (Internet providers, Internet cafés and so on, all prosper from the content created)

Now that you know all about the money ghost, roaming the Internet, it's your choice to decide to feed it, exploit it, ignore it, but keep one thing in mind. It's there and it keeps growing.