Saturday, July 25, 2009

The Price Of Free

I'm far from the first to say this but I'll add my voice to the growing opposition to 'free' information sites on the internet. For a start, none are really free. The internet has reduced the cost of communication but the free information on Google Search is paid for by advertising, the free YouTube service is paid for by Google, the free news is provided by paid for newspapers, the free BBC sites are paid for by licence fees, and so on.
The best things in life are free. And, along with sunsets and making love, I think work done by volunteers is admirable. It's wonderful that so many people are happy to give of their time to provide information online to help or inspire others, just as people through the ages have helped others out of sheer altruism.
What I think is dangerous is the dissemination of material for free that it cost someone something to produce. If those producers- news organisations, music companies, publishers- are put out of business, then there will nothing left to put online for free.

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