WEEK 3 Blog Assignment

In advance of the release of Chris Anderson’s new book “Free: the Future of a Radical Price,” a debate has erupted on the value of free in today’s marketplace. Anderson has been blogging about the tenants of “Free” over the past year to get feedback and solidify his premise. He postulates that in this digital economy pricing will gravitate toward free – YouTube (free entertainment & community); News outlets (free news); Open Source software, music, social computing,  etc. This presents a major challenge (and many opportunities) for content creators who have built their success on charging for resources. Particularly for those resources that are becoming more readily available for free online and in the cloud. Understanding these concepts will help you better compete, coexist and thrive.

Here are four articles that frame the conversation. The debate is interesting since it provides several viewpoints.

Chris Anderson’s Blog

Malcolm Gladwell’s criticism to the Free concept

Seth Godin’s response to Malcolm Gladwell criticism

Marc Cuban’s response – Free vs. Freely Distributed

As we look to week three of the class, you can use this conversation to ponder these new questions about a “Free” economy:

· How do you monetize your resources – will your pricing model be relevant in the future?

· What are your competitors’ pricing and value strategies?

· How can you build value into your work so people are willing to pay for it?

· What are the disruptive technologies in the future, based on this free model? How will you engage users/viewers to stay competitive and engage your audience?

My personal favorite line in the articles is Gladwell’s assertion that, “YouTube will lose close to half a billion dollars this year. If it were a bank, it would be eligible for TARP funds.”

For your Week 3 blog Post, analyze the arguments of Marc, Chris, Seth, Malcolm, et. al. and tell us if you think Anderson is right. Most importantly, what is the impact on web-based storytelling? Blog your answer and post it by Tuesday Midnight July 7.