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The web's original sin

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Re: The web's original sin

#111

Post by mjevans »

DanielStraight wrote: post #16

I find it strange he didn't mention selling something as a possible way to make money. Free web content that you can buy in other forms (ebook, paper book) or buy extras for (videos, email support, courses) seems like a pretty common model these days. In the board and card game world, you've got games where you can download a PDF board or PDF cards but if you want a professionally produced version, you can buy it. In…

People are also shockingly bad at economics. I remember from the econ101 course I was required to take that it's just the possible intersection of curves between what supply can cost and what demand is willing to pay in order to maximize profit.

A missing element is that often someone who has a copy of the content has a choice between buying another copy for someone else to read or loaning their own copy (book lending). If the marginal cost of buying a new copy is less than the overhead involved with lending another copy (often beneath impulse buy price) someone is MUCH more likely to buy a copy as a gift. Think about how much someone is willing to pay for a newspaper. I think 0.25 USD or less would be the natural price per copy. Copies should NOT have DRM. Just price them inexpensively enough that people don't feel a need to share it for free.

Re: The web's original sin

#112

Post by adamrezich »

>The price difference between desktop apps and tablet/mobile apps does not make any sense, but everybody pretends it does. It’s one of the minor mysteries of the mobile world, and I hope a competent psychologist will come up with an explanation one day.

Phone screens are physically smaller than computer screens. I honestly think that's the underlying psychology

Re: The web's original sin

#113

Post by MiddleEndian »

adamrezich wrote: post #112

>The price difference between desktop apps and tablet/mobile apps does not make any sense, but everybody pretends it does. It’s one of the minor mysteries of the mobile world, and I hope a competent psychologist will come up with an explanation one day. Phone screens are physically smaller than computer screens. I honestly think that's the underlying psychology

Desktop apps and games are substantially more powerful and usable. There are no mobile equivalents to Photoshop or Starcraft.

Re: The web's original sin

#114

Post by jackcosgrove »

chc wrote: post #102
RUG3Y wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what's the problem? Apparently, content creation isn't good business anymore.

Your second sentence would seem to answer the first.

No one is entitled to the job they like. If people won't pay for your goods and services, you need to find another job.

Re: The web's original sin

#115

Post by Terr_ »

m52go wrote: post #103
Terr_ wrote: post #67

> Free content entitlement, that’s what. From the beginning the web has been about cutting out middlemen. Sure, everyone still pays for the bytes, but consider how much less it costs, per-viewer, to distribute a paragraph on the web versus printed on paper. Want to communicate quickly and cheaply, without paying for stamps or surcharges for expedited delivery? E-mail. Can't find a publisher willing to take a golden-m…

> but consider how much less it costs, per-viewer, to distribute a paragraph on the web versus printed on paper. From my understanding of publishing, most of the cost is in creation, editing, design, and marketing...not in actually printing it. It's common to assume that electronic versions of paper media should be cheap (if not free) but that's very mistaken.

True, but even some of those aspects are lessened, ex:

1. It makes sense to invest a lot to minimize defects (e.g. typos) before printing, but digitally it's much easier to issue a revision.

2. Marketing is less-critical for reaching "already interested" consumers, due to search-engines and the ease of passing links around.

3. Marketing is less-critical for pushing copies into "nearby retailers", because consumers can reach your presence directly.

Re: The web's original sin

#116

Post by Terr_ »

jacquesm wrote: post #108
Terr_ wrote: post #67

> Free content entitlement, that’s what. From the beginning the web has been about cutting out middlemen. Sure, everyone still pays for the bytes, but consider how much less it costs, per-viewer, to distribute a paragraph on the web versus printed on paper. Want to communicate quickly and cheaply, without paying for stamps or surcharges for expedited delivery? E-mail. Can't find a publisher willing to take a golden-m…

> From the beginning the web has been about cutting out middlemen. That should have read 'the internet' not 'the web', otherwise it is pretty accurate.

It certainly includes more than just HTTP, but you've gotta be careful not to go too far in the other direction:

On an hardware/network level "the internet" was actually about tolerating more "middlemen", moving away from single-owner corporate or governmental networks and dedicated pipes.

Re: The web's original sin

#117

Post by jacquesm »

Terr_ wrote: post #116
jacquesm wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> From the beginning the web has been about cutting out middlemen. That should have read 'the internet' not 'the web', otherwise it is pretty accurate.

It certainly includes more than just HTTP, but you've gotta be careful not to go too far in the other direction: On an hardware/network level "the internet" was actually about tolerating more "middlemen", moving away from single-owner corporate or governmental networks and dedicated pipes.

> On an hardware/network level "the internet" was actually about tolerating more "middlemen"

It still is. And the web was all about that too, but billions of $ were spent to push it in the direction of walled gardens and data silos.

Re: The web's original sin

#119

Post by Debugreality »

There is also I think an issue with enough content for free. At some point there is enough free games in a genre or enough free information on a topic that only people very passionate about the genre or topic will be willing to pay.

Re: The web's original sin

#120

Post by barney54 »

DenisAyumu wrote: post #106

I browsed the web for 15 years without an ad blocker because I could care less about harmless banners and text ads. It was a good time. Then you added tracking cookies that followed me wherever I went. Then you added sound to your ads. Then you added video. Then you added full screen popups, seizure-inducing flashing ads and banners that mimic'ed Windows alerts. Then you added transparent Facebook "like" buttons over…

Yep. The problem is not free content entitlement, it's bad ads. Ads that are intrusive. Ads that are ugly. Ads that kill the user experience.

How much content is actually worth paying for?

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