Public data is exactly what it sounds like: information readily available to the public.
However, much of the time, this information is scattered in various places, it's unorganized, and it's difficult to navigate.
Whenever you search for anything- your favorite song lyrics, your guitar tabs, the definition of a word or the latest stock quote- you might very well may end up on a public data source website.
Some of these sites are free, while others require a membership.
Whether or not it's free or requires paid membership is determined by the type of content, what it's worth, and if website owners can make a profit from the information.
If this sounds complicated, trust me: it's not.
Profitable public data sources are everywhere on the Internet.
All you need to do is compile them.
For example, there are weblogs that find and post videos each day.
People come to their site to watch the videos.
This generates what's known as traffic.
Advertisers become aware of these high traffic sites, and rent ad space on them.
The owners of the video blog make a profit from ad revenue.
Websites that compile articles on various topics earn money in a similar way.
It's all about content, content, content.
And the best part about it is that there is an abundance of content out there that can be obtained for free.
You can access this content and make a profit from it in many ways that will be detailed later in this book.
Essentially, public data can include just about anything.
It can be information that is already out there on the web, or can be content that you've created on your own.
Regardless, these sources of data need only one thing to be profitable: organization.
That's right! A little bit of organization and user-friendly interface is all a public data source needs to turn a profit.
But before we jump into the details, let's take a look at a few compelling reasons why you should use public data sources.
While this chapter was brief, it was meant to get you primed for learning more about public data.