For years, article marketing was a staple of every internet marketer's business model. Article marketing was an art and writing articles for directories and for syndication was a specialty of many successful internet marketers. Does article marketing still work and what has changed over the past few years in article marketing? What direction is article marketing heading and are there any skills that you, as an internet marketer need to learn to stay one step ahead of the curve?

While, in its most basic form, article marketing hasn't really changed, it is the marketplace that has changed. With sweeping blows to article directories by the big search engines and the proliferation of junk articles submitted by lazy internet marketers, the landscape of internet marketing in general and article marketing in particular has changed. The number of article directories has increased, as has the number of those submitting articles to them. But has this helped or hurt the internet marketing community as a whole?

In my view, I feel that the cream always rises to the top. While there many be more article marketers out there and while it seems as if everyone and his brother is trying to make a go at internet marketing, it is the few and the stubborn who will perservere and really become successful at internet marketing. While a blind squirrel might find a nut from time to time, it takes some skill and some artistry to become successful at article marketing. It takes some desire to grow and education onself. It takes years to hone one's skills and create one's own style in order to become successful as an internet marketer. And most newbies simply are in the game for the money that can be made and they will soon be gone.

While you may grow frustrated and tired of the junk filling up the internet and all the changes to search engine algorithms that negatively affect your internet marketing efforts, if you diversify and seek out new genuine ways of getting your content to your readers you can still find success. While technology is changing by the month and new avenues for delivering information to readers are being developed, new opportunities are arising every few months for those that embrace them and learn how to use them effectively.

There will always be those who wish to try to game the system. There will always be those that try to take shortcuts and give little value hoping for great rewards but if your heart is right and your desire is truly to help other human beings you will be rewarded. That golden rule never changes and good intentions lead to good things. Even in article marketing and internet marketing, if you provide good content to your readers it will rise above the wreckage that is abundant on the internet. It will be found and shared and it will find its way into your readers hands.

So, keep true to the old ways but continue to educate yourself in the new technologies. Be the one who embraces the new technolgy with an open mind and finds unique and inovative ways to use the knowledge that you have earned to bring the new technologies under your submission. Use your knowledge for good and you will be rewarded. Share what you know with those who are seeking out the information that you have and you will be rewarded both financially and emotionally.