From Free To Fee
from the some-are-willing-to-pay dept
A Wired News article talking about some examples where companies have successfully switched from a free to fee business model. I'm not surprised that some companies are able to do so, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I do, however, think that they need to realize that there's a chance that someone will come along and offer the same product for less (or free again). The only products that can get away with charging are ones that offer something that is clearly superior (in a way the user values) than any free offering.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team