is Panda, a symptom of a bigger issue ?

I lost my adwords account last december, switched to MSN and then got banned there after about 3 months. Down from $240/week to $40/week (from existing leads)

Why is what used to work not working anymore ?

I think there is a big shift happening on the internet. Facebook has become a big player and google is no longer the only big dog on the internet anymore. Even tho they are different services they are both competing for the starting point people use when they go online.

the bar has been raised and google is wanting to increase the value they provide searchers. this means...

Real review sites that don't just push an affiliate product. Believe it or not people don't like reading a review for 10 minutes. only to suss out half way through that it's a farmed article and the writer doesn't know what the hell theyre talking about.

I just googled my way into such an article thismorning, so looks like google still can't completely filter these out. But it will soon enough. the +1 feature will probably make this possible.

This isn't about the panda update and how to game arround it.

this is about the internet evolving to a higher quality standard and the trend is not going away.

Concider that your running a real world business. Would you knowingly refer people to shady operators. What would happen to your reputation ?

google has to protect it's reputation. And so does any other website. The bar is going up and it will continue to go up.

If you want inbound traffic from anywhere legit, the calibur of your operation is important.

once a curious fascination for wasting time, the internet has become something that people RELY upon to find information and connect. As consumers of the internet, we are sick of all the junk and wont tollerate it anymore. We will use the services that contain the least of it and don't link to it.

as online marketers we need to let go of the gaming the system mentality that once worked and switch to concidering how to effectively provide value. Sites that achieve this will always be welcome.

if you want to stick to trying to game the system, you will be butting your head against a wall that is just going to keep getting harder and harder.

I think it will still be possible to hire people to create content. but the hiring process will be more involved than picking the cheapest hourly rate.

I am in this boat too and as much as I miss the days of easy money. I have finally accepted the reality and I'm excited about building something more substantial.

Slower growth curve but more fortitude.

thanks for reading, just had to get that off my chest.

what's your opinion ?