Written content was either managed by major news outlets or by hobbyists. I can still remember reading many blogs in 2009/2010 by hobbyist who just wanted to spread their experience with the hobby or craft. Most had no advertising. Those that did had the small, occasional unobtrusive banner ad. All of the links to follow were to other blogs by those who proved to the writer that their blogs were topical and without cruft.
Then the paid blogging boom took off. People realized they could churn out crap most of the time with the occasional heavy hitter[0]. Keep readers coming back to a mediocre blog plastered in ads for a minimal amount of effort and get paid.
Note: This isn't a shot at Atwood. I'm agreeing with him.
> I can still remember reading many blogs in 2009/2010 by hobbyist who just wanted to spread their experience with the hobby or craft. Most had no advertising. Those that did had the small, occasional unobtrusive banner ad. All of the links to follow were to other blogs by those who proved to the writer that their blogs were topical and without cruft.
You make it sound like every hobby website wasn't out to make money. What you're describing are the exceptions, not the rule. And they weren't as numerous as your comment indicates. An RC airplane website/forum had ads or deals with companies selling planes, marijuana websites (anyone remember overgrow.com back in 2001?) had deals with seedbanks and marijuana supply companies. Very rare was the hobby website that operated without sponsorship or some form of money generation mechanic. Not to mention, hosting back then was much more expensive. Today it's cheaper than dirt but that wasn't always the case.
I was speaking strictly about blog sites not forums. Frost is the New Black[0] is one such site that's cruft free and about the hobby. Granted, it's now defunct, but it's an example of what I mean. Big Bear Butt[1] is another.
Sites like the one you mention have always existed. I was part of a major video content forum back in the mid 00s, and even we had the flashy ads with a circle of affiliates like Shoosh, Kill Some Time, etc. I'm not so naive to think that the '09 web was a place without obtrusive ads and small, optimized web pages.
Written content was either managed by major news outlets or by hobbyists. I can still remember reading many blogs in 2009/2010 by hobbyist who just wanted to spread their experience with the hobby or craft. Most had no advertising. Those that did had the small, occasional unobtrusive banner ad. All of the links to follow were to other blogs by those who proved to the writer that their blogs were topical and without cruft.
Then the paid blogging boom took off. People realized they could churn out crap most of the time with the occasional heavy hitter[0]. Keep readers coming back to a mediocre blog plastered in ads for a minimal amount of effort and get paid.
Note: This isn't a shot at Atwood. I'm agreeing with him.
[0]: https://blog.codinghorror.com/how-to-achieve-ultimate-blog-s...