Via Alex Barnett am aflat despre un excelent articol din luna martie din Wired ce descrie fenomenul economiei FREE.
In articol se prezinta mai multe modele de gratuitate – o taxonomie a culturii FREE. Mi-e lene sa traduc asa incat:
- “Freemium”
What’s free: Web software and services, some content. Free to whom: users of the basic version. - Cross-subsidies
What’s free: any product that entices you to pay for something else. Free to whom: everyone willing to pay eventually, one way or another. - Zero marginal cost
What’s free: things that can be distributed without an appreciable cost to anyone. Free to whom: everyone. - Labor exchange
What’s free: Web sites and services. Free to whom: all users, since the act of using these sites and services actually creates something of value. - Gift economy
What’s free: the whole enchilada, be it open source software or user-generated content. Free to whom: everyone.
Tot Alex barnett povesteste despre o discutie legata de asta in emisiunea lui Charlie Rose
(Nota: Charlie Rose este gazda unui talk show ce trateaza in general probleme serioase din societate si care e produs si distribuit de PBS, reteaua americana de televiziuni publice. Televiziunea publica in america e ruda saraca a retelelor comerciale. De asta probabil ca auzim foarte rar de Thirteen sau WGBH Boston, iar majoritatea programelor sunt produse – in parteneriat cu – de BBC)
The interview also moves to the topic of the Yahoo! and Microsoft merger. Rose asks: “Why is it that Yahoo! can’t recruit the people at Google – through some extraordinary salary offers – that would let Yahoo! replicate what Google has?”
Anderson’s answer (paraphrased): “There is a basic philosophical difference between Google and Yahoo! Google is a Machine company. Google believes that data, machines and the Algorithms will drive the company’s growth. Yahoo! is a people company – it believes content created by people and the conections made between them with its drive growth.”
“And what about Microsoft?“, Rose asks. Anderson responds (again, paraphrasing) – “Microsoft is a pre-web software company that philosophically wants to be somewhere in between Google and Yahoo!” An oversimplified analysis, surely (hey, it’s a TV interview answer), but I think the Anderson’s conclusion is pretty accurate at its heart.
