Alex Iskold from ReadWriteWeb recently wrote a brilliant piece titled The Danger of Free.
We are raising a generation of kids who do not want to pay monthly subscriptions for anything. Give me stuff for free and stick some advertising on it.
Google is the master of it - Google Docs, GMail, GReader… Microsoft were (and are) being dragged into it and the rest of us … well, we have to justify our offerings if we charge for them, which at the end of the day doesn’t work - because we all love free. Big business can always subsidize their free offerings with premium versions. It really might be time for the little guy to learn from the big boys in certain areas.
Alex continues…
This is also dangerous for another reason. Teens are growing up with not only a sense of expectation of free, but sense of entitlement to free. Of course my social network is free! But why? The phone is not free, television is not free, clothing, food, house - everything else is not free. Is this not a paradox?
I hear you loud and clear, Alex … and totally agree.
But what to do about it?
That’s why I was in favor when some designers (and it’s a growing trend) started charging for “premium” WordPress themes.
The real question is how do we (as in those wanting to make non-advertising dollars on the Net) deal with the so-called “Generation Y” millions that is fast approaching maturity.
Because listen folks … if you’re looking at being in business for the next 5, 10, 20 years then you have to take into account the needs and expectations of the generation Y market. Today we think of them simply as “kids” who are tech savvy to the extremes but the day will come when they’ll become an online economic power and expect so much more - marketers be warned!
New business models? Some serious lateral thinking is in store if one is to thrive in the new era which is fast approaching us.
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4 Responses to “Generation Free”
by Martin Neumann on May 31, 2008 | Reply
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by Chuck Newton on Jun 1, 2008 | Reply
Some old farts like me like FREE too.
by Martin Neumann on Jun 1, 2008 | Reply
Hey Chuck - does the wrong side of 30 constitutes being an old fart as well? ;-)
If so, I’m an old fart and I love Free stuff too.
But… at least my age group (hopefully) appreciates that sometimes free is just not free enough. Look at upgrades, support etc., Free can work but there should/will always be a place for premium.