Google capitalizes on free content from Google Base

[regic]

Google Base’s launch last Fall was feared as a “classifieds killer” .  The underwhelming property, however, did not gain user traction, like so many non Google.com efforts.

Google is turning “lemons into lemonade” now by using Google Base as a magnet to acquire the world’s content for free, structure the cost-free content it obtains, and monetize it by serving it up to the massive Google user base via Google.com “refinement boxes.”...

As the Google ambition is to control not only classifieds listings, but all of the world’s content, Google Base is eagerly sucking in all variations of content, and is acquiring the content at no-cost to Google. For Google, all the world’s content means anything, and everything, in the world....

full article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/micro-markets/?p=213