Many things in life cost money and many are free (this magazine being one of the better ones, obviously). But how does free work as a business plan, why is it successful in some areas and a disaster in others? And how can you make money by giving stuff away?
Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of US technology magazine
Wired and author of the acclaimed
The Long Tail, takes us on a journey through the past and future of the zero price point, and tries to answer these questions. From the giving away of razors to lock you into buying the blades, to the web, where almost all content is free, Anderson makes his case that charging nothing to consumers will become the norm rather than an abberation. Well, free is certainly on the rise as a price point, especially on the web, but it is still used to support an overall economy based on the movement of cash.
Anderson also claims that micropayment systems, where you pay tiny amounts to get access to web material, will never work. Next year promises a ringside seat on testing that hypothesis as major news organisations are gearing up to start just such systems for access to their content.
Free is a great read from a digital evangelist but even Anderson must admit that for the forseeable future you’re still going to need some cash in your bank account in order to get along. You’ll notice his book is far from free. Why? Well, he’s not going to make money by giving it away... 8/10
blog comments powered by
