By Lee Pfeiffer
The brave new world of internet communication and entertainment has a major stumbling block that most members of the general public would rather not contemplate: many of the most-visited web sites are going broke. The main problem is that most web sites outside of the porn industry are compelled to give their content away for free, 'lest they seem uncompetitive. While the free model makes countless consumers aware of their brand name, if there is no basic product to sell, what's the point? You Tube, for example, is a gold mine in terms of public awareness and name recognition. However, the company is bleeding cash in the tens of millions of dollars and can't even cover its basic overhead. The only revenue derives from subtle advertisements on the site for which You Tube gets a commission on any sales that transpire through third party vendors. However, if the ads are more pervasive and numerous, then it turns off people from visiting the site: a classic Catch-22 situation.Â