The horse has been led to water

by

The horse has been led to water (August 24, 2026)

BY ROB BEELER

The “horse” I’m referring to is people – consumers, audiences, users – and the “water” is all the world’s information available digitally. It’s been quite a feat to create this potable ocean of content, and believe me, the horses love it. I love it. It’s amazing to think of how little I think about all the things going around me when I’m quenching my thirst online.

But remember why we wanted this ocean in the first place:

If we had access to everything, think of how smart we would all be!

I even remember at IAB ALM, someone saying that everyone who has access to electricity would have “brilliance in their pocket.”

So why is it that whenever I talk with people about what this ocean holds for the next generation, the consensus is that they’re screwed? (And let’s be honest, “screwed” is not the word people use.)

Even as we say they’re doomed, the focus is still on adding more water. 

For example, companies are buying rare books in a race to digitize them, and (in some cases) destroy them afterward. 

“Information must flow,” they say. 

But water is invariably hard to give structure to. 

Facts get mixed with fiction very easily. I want to build the question economy, but instead we’ve created the “question everything” economy… and not in a good way.

The major platforms absolve themselves of responsibility. Who are they to say what is actually happening in Gaza? No, it presents facts and lies together so you have the ridiculously difficult task of coming to your own conclusions. No wonder we can’t agree on anything. 

Division = Dopamine… but not educated Decisions. 

But the horses will continue to drink…and drink…and drink.

It’s time to start to build alternatives.

Here’s what you need to know this week… 

  • We’re thrilled to announce Parmy Olson (Bloomberg technology columnist and author, “Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World”) as a keynote speaker at Base.Camp Madrid this November. She’ll examine the current state of AI disruption in journalism, where it’s likely to go from here, and what that means for publishers, as we wrestle with questions of authorship, trust, distribution, and long-term business impact.

  • Have you seen the Base.Camp La Jolla agenda? For veteran Base.Campers, you know the agenda is a living document. That means we work closely with our community members to refine it, leading up to the event, based on what we really need to cover. But if you haven’t checked it out recently, now is the time to do so. We’re adding more each day.

  • New publishers have committed to attending Base.Camp La Jolla including Major League Soccer, REMAX, Advance Local, SPACEMOB, Ziff Davis, Ionic Studios, People Inc, OfferUp, Yahoo, Teamsnap, Hearst, Wattpad, The New York Times, Choueiri Group, EverydayHealth Group, Automattic, and New York Post. Raise your hand today if you want to join us. The earlier you do, the more we can work with you to get you to California.

  • We’re also excited to share that publishers from Bauer Media Audio Portugal, Schibsted Media, The Independent, Sky Media, Live Nation, Reach PLC, PGA TOUR, Skyscanner, Dow Jones, Telegraph Media Group, and The Washington Post have committed to join us this November at Base.Camp Madrid. Hotel room availability is limited due to an NFL game that has been scheduled in Madrid on that Sunday, so now is the time to let us know if you’d like to attend. Let us know you’re interested today to secure your spot.

  • Back to school season is here! If you’re a parent trying to balance it all, join us for a Community Call on August 27 at 11 a.m.! Jessica Boiardi will lead the discussion, where we will tackle work/life integration in the trenches, explore practical boundaries for protecting your time without sacrificing campaign yield, and share real-world routines and parenting hacks with peers who actually understand your day-to-day.

  • Save the date: Camp.Fire on September 3 at 2 p.m.! Dennis Colón, Head of Agent & Automation Strategy at boostr, will join us for an open conversation where publishers, vendors, and other industry participants can join, learn, and share perspectives on what it takes to get seller-agent ready. This is a publisher- and In View-only event.

Want to get caught up on everything we’ve published? Start here.

Here’s the latest…  

  • From buyer’s market to publisher leverage: what publishers actually want from bidstream classification (with Chris Kane of Jounce Media)
    Programmatic still runs as a buyer’s market: Buyers hold the classification power, buyers make the go or no-go call on your site, and often you’re being judged without knowing it’s happening. Tilting that back starts with seeing what buyers see, so that’s where the Pub.Call session went, along with what publishers can actually do about their scores.

  • Dynamic placement insertion: Unlocking hidden inventory with Relevant Digital’s Ronny Linder
    For years, publishers have been stuck with the same uncomfortable trade-off: Grow ad revenue, or protect the reading experience. Adding placements has always felt like borrowing against the future, since more ads can mean a diluted property, distracting audiences and advertisers who quietly drift away. That tension has only sharpened as AI-generated search summaries eat into referral traffic, with some publishers reporting 50–90% lower click-through rates when an AI Overview appears.

  • Reclaiming distribution: How premium publishers rebuild growth in the post-organic web (from Ziv Mishan, CRO at Kueez)
    For the last few years, digital publishers have been playing a defensive game. The foundation that powered publisher growth for more than a decade is rapidly changing. Search engines are moving toward AI-driven, answer-first experiences that increasingly satisfy user intent without requiring a click.

A full list of our 2026 events we’re involved in, all in one nice little package:

Chicago AdTech Happy Hour

📅 September 1, 5:00 pm CT

📍 Parlor Pizza Bar in West Loop @ 108 N. Green St., Chicago

The next Chicago AdTech happy hour, sponsored by adops.com is coming up. Melissa and Jeff will be there!

Join the Community!

Thousands of professionals, of all ages, worldwide turn to Beeler.Tech as their meeting place for all things publisher revenue operations. Join the Beeler.Tech Community here! Your teams and colleagues are welcome, too. 

Join the Women’s Space

Our Women’s Space continues to grow, and we’re developing a Code of Conduct for all Beeler.Tech events: something every attendee will agree to, and something we hope the wider industry adopts. The goal is simple: raise the bar on respect and professionalism for everyone. We have a Slack channel and a WhatsApp group. The WhatsApp chat is more active, but you’re welcome in either (or both) if you want to be part of the conversation.

Please reach out to Melissa if you would like to join one or both.

Looking for your next opportunity? Know someone else that is?

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