Re: Pay for Content? Ha, Say Users

From: Amrit Hallan <amrithallan_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Tue 26 Mar 2002 07:59:39 -0600

The beginning of the Internet was like that - a free source of
lots of research work. Mostly, libraries, laboratories and
universities used it for exchange of knowledge and information.
Gradually, the commercial guys entered into the foray but they
had it in their minds that the guys here are used to every thing
being free on the Net. So they came up with all those
free-oriented business plans, and consequently (naturally),
tanked.

And now the "freeness" is ominously deep rooted. So deep rooted
that even if a fee is asked for useful services, people actually
resent. For instance, Yahoo! is going to charge for its POP email
services and I have come across people who ridicule Yahoo! for
doing that. To be frank, for me too it's hard to pay for a
service I've been so gleefully using. But I don't disagree with
they wanting a fee. After all we are using a service so what's
wrong in paying for that service? If we can't pay, well, too bad,
we shouldn't (can't) use it.

Regarding content, people have become used to getting free
content on the Net. What we have to consider is, a majority of
people surfing the Net are anyway out of the category that would
pay for knowledge, information and other literary content - they
use the Net for either emailing or because they have got nothing
better to do. Then, there is a section of students, scientists
and researchers. They too get heavy grants for obtaining
knowledge-based content. For instance, the students use library
books (or use services like Napster for free music) so that they
don't have to spend money on them. Net or no Net, they are never
going to pay for quality content (porn or other stuff? Maybe.)

So there remains a tiny fraction of people who value the payable
content and are naturally eager to pay for it. What we have to do
is, find them. With them we don't even have to make them aware.
Give them relevant content - they'll pay for it.

As for the rest of the clan, I should say let the free be there,
but let people know that you get what you pay for.

Amrit
Web Site Development - http://www.bytesworth.com
Copywriting and Copy Editing - http://www.amrithallan.com
WebDevE-Publication: bytesworth-subscribe_at_topica.com



Received on Tue Mar 26 2002 - 07:59:39 CST