The Free Problem

In addition to Blogger, another popular blogging website is Wordpress. One of the things I really like about Wordpress is their "Freshly Pressed" page, which is a home page of sorts that features recently updated user blogs on various trendy topics. Today, one of the freshly pressed blogs was Hightalk who had written about the Internet's "Free" Problem.

According to this blog, a recent survey found that 49% of Internet users have tried free micro-blogging services like Twitter, yet 0% of them would be willing to pay for it.

This introduces the Internet's Free Problem-- users do not want to pay for anything that they already receive for free. We have been conditioned to expect certain online services like email, social networks, music, etc. to be provided for us at no cost.

Of course, not all of these free services will be sustainable without eventually asking income from it's users. Just this past month, The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper started charging for online content, and some other periodicals do as well.

What I'm wondering is, if you had to choose between paying for Web 2.0 sites and applications, would you do it or go without? Which ones would you pay for and why?

I would pay for an online email account like Yahoo or Google, but that's about it.

Week 5 Prompt Response

Issues of authorship, copyright, and open access impact my desire, ability and willingness to engage in produsage differently personally and professionally.

Personally, I have minimal hesitancy in engaging in produsage. The materials that I typically produse on a personal level through Web 2.0 applications are just that – personal. I know that if I don’t want people to read or copy my work I can always implement certain privacy barriers so that only myself and select others can see it. However, I can’t imagine that my personal produsage consists of content matter that anyone would actually want to copy. Who really wants to steal or replicate my latest blog update recapping a friend’s birthday party or wedding?

Professionally, I have a great deal of hesitancy to engage in produsage. I am afraid to put my work out there because all too often there are people scavenging the web for papers, professional resources, etc. that they can use or plagiarize and not give credit where it’s due. Since I work in suicide prevention, a little bit of information can be dangerous in the wrong, uneducated hands. For that reason, I am very selective about what I put out there on the web for others to see. The bottom line is that if I don’t think it’s appropriate for public consumption or I don’t want others to copy it, then it stays on my computer.