In today's class, we discussed the price of free and what it means for us. Me being the cheap person I am, I feel that everything on the Internet should be free. But, there are some web sites out there that actually want people to pay to access them. If I come across a website where I have to pay for their "information", I go somewhere else. I believe if I'm paying for Internet access, that should be enough.
Now, don't get me wrong, if there are sites out there that have "premium access" then people should pay for that. If you want premium stuff you should pay a premium price. But, if I just want basic stuff that can be located elsewhere, why would I pay for that? That's just like if I go to a store to purchase, say, a camera. I find the one I want, take it to the counter to pay, then the cashier tells me if I wanna buy this camera, I have to buy the insurance that comes with it. If I don't want to buy the insurance, I DON'T WANNA BUY THE INSURANCE!!! Please, don't try and make me pay for something I don't want.
I agree that ultimate choice over if you want to pay for premium content or services should be left up to the consumer. All to often I think people think they have to have something when they really don't. I too can fall victim to thinking I need the best when a lesser substitute will often be just fine.
ReplyDeleteI think in short that for-pay web content has it's place but that often with a little research (looking at you open-source software) a viable alternative can be found.
I've never been one to want to pay for premium content on web sites but for some reason I did on ESPN.com to become an INsider (which is there premium service). But on the other hand. I look at it sometimes like why am I even paying for content that I could very well find somewhere else. Or why not just wait like everyone else. But for those sites that force there premium services on you as if there are no other choices. I simply bypass them and look elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteDanny, I'm sure ESPN thanks you very much for purchasing premium content on their web site.
ReplyDelete