I hope this Thanksgiving is one of peace and happiness for all. Please take some time out and simply "be" with your family and friends. It's OK...the world will still keep spinning.
tom
20091125
20091118
Again we miss the point
Check out this post on Valleywag. It talks about a new study out that reveals that 80% of respondents say they will not pay for online content, and the other 20% are "unsure" of how they would pay. Wow. What a shocker.
Clearly, the folks discussing this issue are completely missing the point. Here's the real deal: When asked, of course anybody in today's Internet age would say "Heck no, I won't pay for something like news or TV or music or movies or stock quotes or ..." and the reason is...wait for it...BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO!
That's right. Every response on every poll needs to take into account the reasons, perceptions, and world-views of the respondents. That's why in most cases it is the critical interpretation of the study responses which is so much more important than the raw data.
Is it really a surprise that, in today's world, people would say that they will not pay for online content? Of course not. But the folks that conducted the study knew this; they merely wanted an "objective source" to cite to make their words sound more important. This is a common technique performed by savvy marketing organizations.
Check out who did the study, and why. Then check out the political pursuations of the folks picking up the story. Chances are, they are sympathetic to the cause. Take a look at the unflattering picture of Rupert Murdoch on the Valleywag page. Do you think they like him or lothe him? Do you think they would prefer to see his empire collapse in flames?
Given the choice, anybody would opt for something free versus having to pay for it. But consider this. Unless we want to continue shutting down companies, people need to get paid for their efforts. Unless we want to read articles written by folks with little or no skill or talent for writing, with no oversight, fact checking, or management, we need to seriously look at where our "less than free" culture may be taking us. There are a lot of people out there who are willing to do things for free [like me writing this blog]. There are lots of people in other countries willing to work for a lot less than people in the US. But we all can't support our current standard of living by working at Starbucks.
Where is this experiment going? And what will the US look like in a few years? Think about it. And by all means, let me know! Thanks for stopping by!
Clearly, the folks discussing this issue are completely missing the point. Here's the real deal: When asked, of course anybody in today's Internet age would say "Heck no, I won't pay for something like news or TV or music or movies or stock quotes or ..." and the reason is...wait for it...BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO!
That's right. Every response on every poll needs to take into account the reasons, perceptions, and world-views of the respondents. That's why in most cases it is the critical interpretation of the study responses which is so much more important than the raw data.
Is it really a surprise that, in today's world, people would say that they will not pay for online content? Of course not. But the folks that conducted the study knew this; they merely wanted an "objective source" to cite to make their words sound more important. This is a common technique performed by savvy marketing organizations.
Check out who did the study, and why. Then check out the political pursuations of the folks picking up the story. Chances are, they are sympathetic to the cause. Take a look at the unflattering picture of Rupert Murdoch on the Valleywag page. Do you think they like him or lothe him? Do you think they would prefer to see his empire collapse in flames?
Given the choice, anybody would opt for something free versus having to pay for it. But consider this. Unless we want to continue shutting down companies, people need to get paid for their efforts. Unless we want to read articles written by folks with little or no skill or talent for writing, with no oversight, fact checking, or management, we need to seriously look at where our "less than free" culture may be taking us. There are a lot of people out there who are willing to do things for free [like me writing this blog]. There are lots of people in other countries willing to work for a lot less than people in the US. But we all can't support our current standard of living by working at Starbucks.
Where is this experiment going? And what will the US look like in a few years? Think about it. And by all means, let me know! Thanks for stopping by!
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