News Munchies
Those Bastards Want to be Paid
Originally Posted
Updated
Yahoo users are biting the hand that fed them for free for years. It seems the move from free to fee has been a toothy, two-week ride.
The email giant's new "revenue diversification plan" (short for fee-for-service) isn't generating any yahs or oohs, but moving from free to fee falls into the same business category as a hostile takeover when it comes to warm fuzzies.
The real PR question is how long will people groan and moan before buying into the fact that free lunch lines are disappearing on the Net. It's ass, grass, or cybercash during Phase II of the Internet craze.
In a recent Jupiter survey, consumers were asked what they would pay for if the Web were no longer free. Sixty-three percent said they wouldn't pay for content, while 69 percent said they wouldn't pay for services. That leaves 31 to 37 percent of the 544.2 million Internet users who are willing to pay today and might be required to pay tomorrow.
Obviously that's enough for the Yahoos, Salon.coms, American Greetings, and the other online companies that dare to wean themselves off Internet ads so they, too, can survive and provide their services tomorrow and the day after.
Ain't that a bite? 