In recent months I've been following the rise of content farms , a topic that a few journalists are starting to write about, but one that is already having a huge impact on the web.  These companies are churning out literally thousands of pieces of content every week.  In fact Demand Media - one of the leading companies in this space - is pumping out 4,000 new pieces of content every day - and these companies generate over half of the content on YouTube.

So, how does it work?  How do they know what content to create? It's quite simple. They continually track what phrases are searched for and then commission writers to produce articles on that particular topic.  And it's big business. Demand Media recently had 62,000 articles waiting to be written in their system.

The fact that the web is being flooded with content could create a big headache for Google, the undisputed leader of online search.  Why?  Because the quality of some of the content generated has been described as "lacking soul" and "being uninspired".  The challenge for Google and other search engines will be to find ways to filter out the lesser quality content and stay one step ahead of the content farms.

I see there being a polarization of quality content versus mass market content.  Both have a place. The key thing for marketers is to be clear about their end goal.  Is it volume and reach?  Or is it niche targeting of a specific audience demographic? The answer to the question will determine which route is most appropriate for a particular campaign.