rogerd - 1:15 pm on Dec 20, 2001 (gmt 0)

I forgot to mention the multiple pop-unders in my original post about over-commercialization. I know everyone is doing it, but the overall feel of the about.com sites I visited was one of someone using every possible resource to turn a buck, with very little current, useful, free content. If a major news site slips me a pop-under, I accept it as something that helps pay for all the free content I can access. But at about.com, the popunders are just part of the assault, that also includes ads, sponsored links, affiliate links, etc.

Unfortunately, I think that about.com will go the same way as the search engines that fail to produce useful results. People will be disappointed when they can't find what they are looking for, and not come back. Nobody would watch television if 90% of the airtime was composed of 30 and 60 second commercials - the networks have found the "optimal" point (from their standpoint) that maximizes ad revenue but doesn't drive viewers away. About.com needs to emulate them and find the right balance.