Monday, July 06, 2009

On Business Models: Free Is Not Always Good


Free Is The Future: Picking A Fight With Mark Cuban

I came out defending the freemium space. But I, under no circumstance, am suggesting that is the only business model. Your hamburger stand better charge. Your coffee shop better charge for coffee. Walmart would not be the most successful company in the history of humanity if it did not charge. Your house should cost money. Food is not free. They pay you to work. You are not free.

It is just that the freemium kind is my favorite business model for online ideas. There are companies that charge. MeetUp charges the Organizers who go ahead and sometimes charge those who attend. I am going to the NY Tech MeetUp tomorrow evening for a cost of 10 bucks and I am happy. There are 700 others like me.

When you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free
Free vs Freely Distributed

Bleak Job Numbers


The job numbers for June came out and they were not looking good at all. The worst recession since the Great Depression is not over yet, but I am on record saying the bungee jump phase is over, and now we are in the plateau phase. And I don't think the plateau phase will last as long as the bungee jump phase did.

The Plateau Will Last Less Than Nine Months

The pain many people are feeling is very real. Many people appear clueless as to what future might have in store for them.

In Book Advertisement

All Books Need To Go Digital

Amazon Applying For In-Book Advertisement Patent http://bit.ly/JTypW

From The Netizen BlogRoll

Free vs Freely Distributed
Making a John Q Public account on Google
Celebrities - social objects or fake friends?
Freemium and Freeconomics
Watching People Come of Age
Journalistic narcissism
A Different Kind of Independence
I Believe Mark Cuban is Right
How the SF Giants saved a million bucks with telecommunications upgrades
Breakdown: 3 Ways Brands Are Earning –and Buying– Followers on Twitter
How to Build a Successful Blog

In The News
Spiral Jetty, earthwork extraordinaire
Obama's Russian Business Plan
AT&T's Wireless Ambitions
What Will the Energy Bill Cost?
Economics Unbound: Merrill Lynch's unfortunately timed upgrade on U.S. economic outlook
The Old Solutions Have Become the New Problems
  1. Why Obama's Afghan War is Different
  2. How Medicated Was Michael Jackson?
  3. Why Sarah Palin Quit as Governor
  4. Searching for Palin's 'Hot Photos'
  5. Behind North Korea's Missile Launch
  6. When Benedict Meets Barack
  7. Afterbirth: It's What's For Dinner
  8. What Michael Jackson Did on His Last Day
  9. TIME's Summer Reading List
  10. The Challenge That Awaits Obama in Moscow
The Palin I-Quit-arod: A Defining Trait?
Tough Times Lead to Local Currencies
Avigdor Lieberman: Politically Incorrect
Ban Ki Moon Leaves Burma Disappointed
Palin Bow-Out: Boon to Her Book Sales?
Trying Times for Russia's Nesting Dolls
Ice Age vs. Transformers — It's A Draw!
The Battle Over Michael Jackson's Legacy