Comments on: The great closing? The end of free? http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/ learning, networks, knowledge, technology, community Sat, 4 Feb 2012 22:56:23 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Diego Ibarra http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-61769 Diego Ibarra Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:15:29 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-61769 I do not believe there will be an end to free web content. People have always/and will always find ways to get things for free through the web. There are also many people who take great pride in sharing products/knowledge with everyone free of charge. while there might be many providers that will charge for their content, their will also always be those who simply like to make people happy; and what better way to make some one happy then by providing them with something for FREE! I do not believe there will be an end to free web content. People have always/and will always find ways to get things for free through the web. There are also many people who take great pride in sharing products/knowledge with everyone free of charge. while there might be many providers that will charge for their content, their will also always be those who simply like to make people happy; and what better way to make some one happy then by providing them with something for FREE!

]]> By: Fernando Luís Santos http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60869 Fernando Luís Santos Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:11:38 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60869 George I agree with you when you say what will be paid is the medium and not the content. There is an increasing demand for open content also due to the global crisis. But knowledge can not remain closed, just see your example ... What I think is happening is a trend of lobbyists to promote this kind of discussion and convey the message that paid content of better quality (which is not always true). Here in Portugal, online newspapers have tried to do this kind of experience (and I think they are now preparing for second round) where it had a paid subscription could view the entire contents of a news story - the result, other newspapers have gained prominence. George I agree with you when you say what will be paid is the medium and not the content. There is an increasing demand for open content also due to the global crisis.
But knowledge can not remain closed, just see your example …
What I think is happening is a trend of lobbyists to promote this kind of discussion and convey the message that paid content of better quality (which is not always true).
Here in Portugal, online newspapers have tried to do this kind of experience (and I think they are now preparing for second round) where it had a paid subscription could view the entire contents of a news story – the result, other newspapers have gained prominence.

]]> By: gsiemens http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60858 gsiemens Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:39:24 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60858 @Jared - thanks for the reminder of your post - great comments/discussion on the topic of open web vs. app approach. @Mark - like you, I don't think this is the end of free...but it is a resurgence in paid content. Well, that's not quite true. The medium has always been the point of monetization: we pay for the physical newspaper, not for news...we pay for an internet connection, not the content...we pay for satellite/cable TV, not the programs. In the same sense, we are now paying for the medium of the ipad/phone/pod in the form of apps. @Sarah - I view OERs as very different from what's happening in content in news/books, etc. If the public funds research and thereby content (in the form of articles, learning materials, etc), then it belongs to the public. As such, I see OERs as a moral/ethical concern. @John - you're right about the difficulty of controlling the internet. However, as mentioned in my comment to Mark - the medium is the point of monetization. @Bryan - interesting take on the different meaning of "payment" post-Lehman. Do you see that as a catalyst for the move to closed/paid models now being explored by newspapers and other content providers? @Jared – thanks for the reminder of your post – great comments/discussion on the topic of open web vs. app approach.

@Mark – like you, I don’t think this is the end of free…but it is a resurgence in paid content. Well, that’s not quite true. The medium has always been the point of monetization: we pay for the physical newspaper, not for news…we pay for an internet connection, not the content…we pay for satellite/cable TV, not the programs. In the same sense, we are now paying for the medium of the ipad/phone/pod in the form of apps.

@Sarah – I view OERs as very different from what’s happening in content in news/books, etc. If the public funds research and thereby content (in the form of articles, learning materials, etc), then it belongs to the public. As such, I see OERs as a moral/ethical concern.

@John – you’re right about the difficulty of controlling the internet. However, as mentioned in my comment to Mark – the medium is the point of monetization.

@Bryan – interesting take on the different meaning of “payment” post-Lehman. Do you see that as a catalyst for the move to closed/paid models now being explored by newspapers and other content providers?

]]> By: Bryan Alexander http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60855 Bryan Alexander Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:03:53 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60855 The Atlantic piece was very odd. It far overstates the ideology it purports to describe. For instance, that horrible Time piece wasn't scotched by frantic digerati, but had a huge influence on policy, leading to the first CDA. One thought to your question, George: in the Great Recession, paying for stuff has a different meaning than before Lehman Bros bought it. There's less joyous bling, and more, well, civic duty. Purchasing stuff is more fraught, less fun. The Atlantic piece was very odd. It far overstates the ideology it purports to describe. For instance, that horrible Time piece wasn’t scotched by frantic digerati, but had a huge influence on policy, leading to the first CDA.

One thought to your question, George: in the Great Recession, paying for stuff has a different meaning than before Lehman Bros bought it. There’s less joyous bling, and more, well, civic duty. Purchasing stuff is more fraught, less fun.

]]> By: Sui Fai John Mak http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60843 Sui Fai John Mak Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:57:28 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60843 Will there be an end to free content online. May I share my belief? It is impossible to end the free content online. Why? We had once licenced TV,then free, then paid, then... now internet, and Youtube, and even if someone is to turn them into paid service, like Ning, what will happen, some others would provide free service, like free open education, free "learning". I have once been a volunteer, and everything that I do was free, and now many of us as educators are giving free and sharing these "education". Why? For some an spirit of altruism, or others some may say that it is purely out of the desire to "change" the world by modelling it themselves. So, this push for free, like democracy, would just continue IMHO, unless there are some unforeseen events which would turn such economy backwards (e.g. wars? or the shut down of internet?) We have seen those wars based on price & competition for customers etc. (on news media, on music etc.) and everytime it comes to some "equilibrium trough". So, let's wait and see how someone could control the black hole - internet. John Will there be an end to free content online. May I share my belief? It is impossible to end the free content online. Why? We had once licenced TV,then free, then paid, then… now internet, and Youtube, and even if someone is to turn them into paid service, like Ning, what will happen, some others would provide free service, like free open education, free “learning”. I have once been a volunteer, and everything that I do was free, and now many of us as educators are giving free and sharing these “education”. Why? For some an spirit of altruism, or others some may say that it is purely out of the desire to “change” the world by modelling it themselves. So, this push for free, like democracy, would just continue IMHO, unless there are some unforeseen events which would turn such economy backwards (e.g. wars? or the shut down of internet?) We have seen those wars based on price & competition for customers etc. (on news media, on music etc.) and everytime it comes to some “equilibrium trough”. So, let’s wait and see how someone could control the black hole – internet.
John

]]> By: Sarah Stewart http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60809 Sarah Stewart Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:59:02 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60809 I may well be wrong but in health and midwifery I am seeing people just starting to think about open sharing and OER. OER is being discussed in a way that it wouldn't even have been considered a couple of years ago, or even a year ago. There are still barriers, not least the attitudes of academic institutions, but I have been most heartened over the last 6 months that at long last my midwifery/nursing/medical colleagues are starting to talk and 'open' and 'free'. I may well be wrong but in health and midwifery I am seeing people just starting to think about open sharing and OER. OER is being discussed in a way that it wouldn’t even have been considered a couple of years ago, or even a year ago. There are still barriers, not least the attitudes of academic institutions, but I have been most heartened over the last 6 months that at long last my midwifery/nursing/medical colleagues are starting to talk and ‘open’ and ‘free’.

]]> By: Mark Smithers http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60806 Mark Smithers Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:15:46 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60806 I think Apple and the old media companies would love this to be the case so that they can go back to charging for content. Being optimitic (at the moment) I suspect that we are not seeing the 'end of free'. There are a large number of people providing content free of charge to the web; some of it advertising supported and some of it not. I think people genuinely like doing that and like being part of the conversation around that content. It may take a long time but I hope to see the open availability of content as being key drivers of social and professional reputation in the knowledge professions. I think we'll also see demands for much content that is generated from public funding being made available for 'free' On the application front, free and open source applications continue to grow in usage. I think they will continue to sit alongside paid for applications and we'll have a growth in the freemium model, particularly for web apps. Just one or two thoughts. I think Apple and the old media companies would love this to be the case so that they can go back to charging for content.

Being optimitic (at the moment) I suspect that we are not seeing the ‘end of free’. There are a large number of people providing content free of charge to the web; some of it advertising supported and some of it not. I think people genuinely like doing that and like being part of the conversation around that content.

It may take a long time but I hope to see the open availability of content as being key drivers of social and professional reputation in the knowledge professions.

I think we’ll also see demands for much content that is generated from public funding being made available for ‘free’

On the application front, free and open source applications continue to grow in usage. I think they will continue to sit alongside paid for applications and we’ll have a growth in the freemium model, particularly for web apps.

Just one or two thoughts.

]]> By: Ivan Travkin http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60796 Ivan Travkin Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:12:17 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60796 Thanx for links! :) There are very similar ideas in the blog of a russian guy (i can't find the link D:). He is writing about Apple and even Android trends, that are leading us to the closing. Thanx for links! :)
There are very similar ideas in the blog of a russian guy (i can’t find the link D:). He is writing about Apple and even Android trends, that are leading us to the closing.

]]> By: Jared Stein http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2010/07/12/the-great-closing-the-end-of-free/comment-page-1/#comment-60788 Jared Stein Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:58:18 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4886#comment-60788 It could be, as I think Apple and their vendors would like you to believe, that you're paying for a higher quality experience. I don't know that this is true, but <a href="http://jaredstein.org/2010/04/08/ipad-vs-the-open-web/" rel="nofollow">I also noticed this possibility</a> when, soon after the release iPad Apple announced new restrictions on app development, and I heard about the Wired app, etc etc. It could be, as I think Apple and their vendors would like you to believe, that you’re paying for a higher quality experience. I don’t know that this is true, but I also noticed this possibility when, soon after the release iPad Apple announced new restrictions on app development, and I heard about the Wired app, etc etc.

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