Although not among the most vocal complainers, I do have concerns about the direction in which the homeaway, vrbo, and associated websites are moving.  I've been advertising on these sites for many years.  I've been doing this since the days of bulletin boards for advertisings in the health club, supermarket, university, community center, etc. 

I would happily pay my annual fee, and have for years, based on an exchange of advertising space for my dollars. Instead I am learning that I must pay for other services, reservation managers, credit card payments, online this and that  (you name it the parent company appears ready to create it and charge for it), to maintain my advertising space on the website. If I don't pay for additional services that, in my opinion, have nothing to do with advertising my property, the original purpose of these sites, I end up being penalized in the order of advertised listings.

There is an effort on the sites to force people to pay for services they don't want or need to achieve parity in advertising for their property.

I agree with you that an Owner's efforts for self promotion should be multiple...not solely dependent upon one online advertisement on a HA portal. But, you appear to have the impression that Owners in this Community are clueless about how to market. I have my own website which brings me the majority of my inquiries {it is well SEO-ized...I've had the website online for years}... I have been reviewed by major travel guides:  Frommers, Fydors, a couple of lesser-known travel publications {they visited my place}... and a few individual "travel writers" who blog {one of whom will spend 2 nights, one night in each of my cottages, this week, for an indepth review --- at her request}. My place will also be a mention {a recommendion} in the next issue of "Budget Travel" magazine {again, their request...and one of them has visited us}. All  of those marketing efforts are unpaid for.  I have good reviews on TripAdvisor as well {a free listing}.  I am registered with my State's official "Travel & Convention Bureau" [$fee$} appearing in their online publications.  I am a member of a private "alliance" of vacation rental Owners...which has a website where I upload my adverts,  specials, at least once a month... I engage in {and invest in} various offline and online promotions.  So...we Owners in the Community are not "uninformed" about marketing.  And, we are not "complainers". The Owners in this Community  pay for advertising on HA/VRBO  websites...and the company claims not to be "in the middle" of the deal...but the company seems to be impacting the deal starting with an "Inquiry Process" that focus mainly on "The Traveler" {by the company's own admission}, the "Owner" feels less served ...both "The Traveler" & "The Owner" clients express a negative impact to the "Inquiry Process"....and they both express unfairness to the "Review Process".  Some Owners feel the company is manipulating them to pay higher premiums for tools such as more images for higher rank at a high cost....some Owners believe there is a return of less traffic to their ads, untargeted traffic when it comes, a "review" process that is "troubled"...with no vetting process for the "Validity" of each "Review" by VRBO to "protect" its Paying Client from "The Extortionist" and the "Revengful Guest" syndrome.   These seem to be a few of the major grievances among the "Paying Clients - Owners.  And, you think that Owners should not question any of this?  They should not seek some management response? They should not feedback the company with suggestions?  They should not expect an *easy to implement* improvement to the system which could *easily benefit* both of HA/VRBO's client groups - the free-using Traveler + the paying Owner? Maybe some of the Owners with grievances are not {yet} taking more initiatives in self promotion...but their voice is not less valuable. You are also correct that Owners can just *divorce* from HA/VRBO and move on. Those who stay and continue to support the company do so for valid reasons.   I have been with VRBO for several years...long before the HA take over. I actually have no problem accepting change, per say....but I do think that the strategy to put more emphasis on the "Free-Using Traveler"...over the "Investing Owner" is a poor one...and I think that the company will catch on to that, eventually.  What company caters more to some of it's "investors" than others?  The Owners are asking for an improvement to "The System"  with an aim to service BOTH clients...but especially "The Paying Client" better.