Google Publishing: Just Add Content

Free is a great business model if you can afford it. Google's beta launch of a free ad server looks to me like another step toward becoming the Alpha and Omega of online publishing. The company already provides a lightweight CMS and text ads links at the low end, has acquired Double Click at the high end, and analytics in between. I'm expecting a free, industrial strength CMS at some point. What this ads up to in the infrastructure for online publishing -- just ad content. Of course, there will be vast amounts of low-quality content at the low end. Thing is, only Google will have the knowledge to slice it, dice it and make it valuable.