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Virtual goods give Web firms revenue boost as ads slump
A Google search. Virtual goods are unlikely to replace ads as the main money-maker at firms like Google, which generates billions of dollars from selling ads on the Web. File
Posted Monday, January 4 2010 at 17:38
For social networks like Ning, which introduced virtual goods in October, digital wares will remain one of several revenue-generating businesses, including ads and premium services, said Chief Operations Officer Jason Rosenthal.
The boundaries between virtual goods and ads will blur as virtual goods evolve, he said. Ning, which hosts more than 1.8 million customised social networks, will introduce new types of virtual goods in 2010 that could double as promotional coupons, allowing the recipient of a virtual handbag, for example, to get a discount or a bonus item in the real world.
Ning also wants to integrate entertainment like music and video into its virtual goods market, he said.
- Reuters
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