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Making the "Free" Business Model Work In a Tough Economy

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the learning-from-the-dot-com-days dept.

Randy Savage writes "With venture capital on hold and advertising revenue down, the WSJ discusses where online business models might go. 'Over the past decade, we have built a country-sized economy online where the default price is zero — nothing, nada, zip. Digital goods — from music and video to Wikipedia — can be produced and distributed at virtually no marginal cost, and so, by the laws of economics, price has gone the same way, to $0.00. For the Google Generation, the Internet is the land of the free. '"

6 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Probably have to subscribe to slashdot after al by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not me, I don't care about Karma.

    Posting anonymously to protect my Karma.

  2. What a crazy idea! by kjart · · Score: 2, Funny

    FTA:

    So Web startups are having to do the unthinkable: come up with a business model that brings in real money while they're still young.

  3. Re:Probably have to subscribe to slashdot after al by 0racle · · Score: 3, Funny

    if Slashdot had Karma coupons that we could all trade, we'd all be suckered in.

    You can't sell that! Karma can only be portioned out by the cosmos. -Homer

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
  4. Re:micropayments by luker0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    b) it is designed for children, not the Slashdot demographic

    You don't read slashdot much do you then :)

  5. Re:Volume by pluther · · Score: 2, Funny

    Slashdot has a subscription service if you're interested. The key advantage is being able to see stories before they go live. (Which lets you compose your thoughts and post them in a well-formed manner

    See - now I know you're just making stuff up.

    Compose thoughts?

    Post them in a well-formed manner?

    On Slashdot??!

    --
    If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
  6. Re:Nobody rides for free by RoverDaddy · · Score: 2, Funny

    wikipedia is leaching off of us [citation needed]

    ... there, fixed that for you.

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    RETURN without GOSUB in line 1050