Rise of the Generators

Content Mill. Content farm. Scam. Try Googling “Demand Media,” “Associated Content” or Seed.com, and those are some of the terms you’re likely to encounter. Yet if you read any content produced by these companies, you’re also likely to encounter ads from established brands like Chevrolet, Tide, AT&T, CoverGirl and Progressive Insurance.

Even as industry observers obsess over whether these next-gen content companies—which churn out thousands of search friendly articles usually produced by inexpensive freelancers—are destroying journalism, advertisers don’t seem to care.

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