The key paragraphs are the last 4. Like Umair, I believe the huge value is not in "monetization through advertising", but making marketing <i>itself</i> useful to consumers.<p>AdSense/AdWords is only the tip of the iceberg:<p>"But instead of seeing widgets as a separate, third side of the platform, and then subsidizing them, Mark Z should have realized that widgets and advertisers are one and the same side of the platform. <p>"That is, widgets from advertisers are really the second side of it's platform: advertisers will subsidize widgets, because they have a massive incentive to build widgets that create value. <p>"See the convergence? Here, we begin to see a redefinition of marketing: 'ads' that benefit people."