Catalogs of Internet resources will be supported by advertising in the future.

The claim is that catalogs of Internet resources will be supported mainly by advertising. Such catalogs include web directories, portals and search engines that index and help people find online resources. TRUE: the dominant catalogs and search services after 1995 were funded mainly by advertising, for example Yahoo's directory and portal and Google Search. MOSTLY TRUE: advertising became a major funding source, but some leading catalogs relied substantially on other models. MOSTLY FALSE: advertising played a role, but the leading catalogs were funded mainly by subscriptions, licensing or other means. FALSE: Internet catalogs and search services were not supported by advertising in any significant way.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 [PDF] Web's Missing Links (Prepublication Draft) Thomas Haigh -- 1 Thomas Haigh (author's prepublication draft of a chapter for MIT Press, 2007) · 2007

   “Search sites and portals command the lion’s share of the world’s Internet advertising revenue, making them the most successful of all Internet information businesses.”

2. E2 [PDF] Web's Missing Links (Prepublication Draft) Thomas Haigh -- 1 Thomas Haigh (author's prepublication draft of a chapter for MIT Press, 2007) · 2007

   “In contrast, subscription-based Web search services had little appeal, because the same service was always available free from other search engines.”

3. E3 Surviving in Today's Search World - ClickZ ClickZ (internet.com) · 5 December 2001

   “The engines that don’t use paid inclusion are Google, Open Directory Project (ODP), and Northern Light, although Google provides AdWords as paid placement.”

4. E4 Lear All About Our Directory ODP (static snapshot of the former DMOZ directory, run by former DMOZ editors) · 18 December 2018

   “The Yahoo! Directory shut down in 2014 in spite of charging a recurring annual fee of $299 and being one of the earliest web directories.”

A 2007 history chapter says search sites and portals take the largest share of the world's Internet advertising revenue, making them the most successful Internet information businesses (E1). The same chapter says subscription-based Web search had little appeal because free search engines offered the same service (E2). A 2001 report says Google provided AdWords paid placement (E3). However, the Yahoo! Directory charged an annual listing fee (E4), and the 2001 report describes paid inclusion at other engines (E3), so some catalogs leaned on other models, and no source gives a revenue breakdown showing advertising was the main funding source.