remember a couple of years ago, when all those ask-an-expert sites started appearing on the Web? AskMe.com, AllExperts.com, AskAnExpert.com, AskAnything.com, and Keen.com all offered access to self-described experts on subjects ranging from astrology to zoology. This was during the Great Internet Get-Rich-Quick Dream, when everyone knew that the Web changed everything and that traditional concepts of profitability, marketing, and value were so last year. Advertising was supposed to support these sites, allowing them to offer free access to experts who were just waiting at their PCs for someone to ask them a question. It was a heady time, and many of the people contributing their expertise and opinions did it not for money, but for the egoboos (short-hand for "ego boost") and user ratings (hey, I got five stars!). The Great Internet Shakeout caused most of these sites to shut down, consolidate, or focus on selling enterprise knowledge-sharing software.
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