Impaul99,
As I said in a previous post, to make money (earn--not steal), the value Steve referred to only has to be
perceived value. Steve didn't mention that, but I think we all know it anyway. The value doesn't have to be real to get money in return for offering it.
We must also consider the often convoluted paths that the value for offer, and the value received or perceived, travel before they come full circle. The value receiver or perceiver may be twice removed from the obvious exchange. Steve offers value to us readers, but we don't pay Steve. The advertisers who pay Google for the adsense ads on Steve's site perceive value in the click-trips we take on the ads. Google perceives value in placing the ads on Steve's site, and pays Steve every time we click on one.
We don't really care about the adsense ads. We care about the value Steve offers us in the articles. We get that value because Steve makes money offering value to Google, who make money offering value to the advertisers, who make money offering value to whomever buys their products -- which of course are a percentage of Steve's readers -- and the circle is complete.
Well, that's how I see it anyway
John
Paintings of British Columbia - John Rocheleau