[brooke]

i think we all know how hard it is to make money through the internet, i have a few business ventures and most of them are miserable failures really xcept my core busainess. My question is twofold, first, how is it some companies can defy gravity, that is continue trading when their business model is crap, and the second part is can you think of other examples?

I was thinking of directory sites like Scoot and Ask Alix, as well as the Touch group. I have experience with customers that have brought these types of services and when analysed they clearly dont work. I think they convince people that dont know better to purchase their services by using girls in call centres. I have seen people with services from these companies that have delivered 0 hots over a year. And when you speak to them they always have a reason.

I think there are loads of directories that fit this model, but can anyone think of others? and how is it that they defy gravity?

Another example is all these strange adds you get on my space ands google saying you won a prize, or twinkies girls or the smilies that keep saying HEELLLOOO...

what convinced me to make this post was looking at flash ads for companies like Nokia. I find it hard to believe that hey have real humans sitting around doing nohing other than writing that stuff. But more to the point, all these 'dating agencies', theres hundreds of them. Surely a prime example of gravity defying economics? Do people use them? Really? When places like MySpace are free? Surely you need a critical mass of customers to bloat one of those boats? I find it hard to believe.