Free Content is King

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Free is not a new concept. For centuries, businesses have used "free" products in marketing (e.g. free trials, free gifts, free quotes) or to cross subsidise other products (free Gilette razors which only use Gilette blades). Thanks to the internet, free content is going to become standard. As Chris Anderson points out:

...a different sort of free has emerged: not on cross-subsidies — the shifting of costs from one product to another — but on the fact that the cost of products themselves is falling fast ...

This kind of free is disruptive. And we are seeing more and more examples of this. Whether is artists like Radiohead who sell their album for free and rely on inernet-based donations, news companies like The New York Times who give all their content away for free online (since 2007), or MITs OpenCourseWare which seeks to make all of MITs courses available for free, the story is the same. The amount of free content is growing. And in most cases, whatever content you are looking for (news, music, videos, data, research, expert advice, tutorials, recipes, marketplaces, definitions, images, educational...), you'll be able to find it on the internet for free.

But what does this mean for content producers? Without question, the notion of making money from content is changing. And most of the current "free" business models rely on high-volume, continued attention from a community of users. But, one of the problems with free content is that its so easy to copy. As Kevin Kelly notes:

The internet is a copy machine. At its most foundational level, it copies every action, every character, every thought we make while we ride upon it.

So how can content producers create barriers to help ensure they retain their user's attention. Here is my summary of eight generative qualities which can't be copied from Kelly's blog.

• Immediacy - its ready for you now! (or at least faster than the rest)
  
• Personalization - the right content for the right person (creating a bond with the content)
  
• Interpretation - the right help in relating to the content (and how to use it)
  
• Authenticity - a stamp of content legitimacy (so its credible)
  
• Accessibility - access content wherever, whenever (by whoever)
  
• Embodiment - endorsement from the source (or on video)
• Patronage - fans and loyalty (people "want to pay" without being asked)
  
• Findability - searchable content (including ranking and tags and SEO as well as a search bar)
  

I would add that presentation is also key. Typography is a hot topic in web design for a good reason - its got to look good, be intuiative and be easy to use (or read or see or hear).

The economic crisis will certainly slow down the trend as businesses scramble to generate revenue. But the trend of free is here to stay - the underlying economics don't change, even under crisis. Look out for Chris Anderson's next book - "FREE" to be published in 2009 by Hyperion.

More free to come.