Former editor of and author at Wired and Whole earth catalog, Kevin Kelly wrote an interesting manifesto for ChangeThis about the network economy. He declares the internet is a copy machine and therefore a super distribution system. All for free.
But why would user pay for something they can get for free? Kelly states eight reasons why this might happen.
- Immediacy
- Personalization
- Interpretation
- Authenticity
- Accessibility
- Embodiment
- Patronage
- Findability
Large aggretators, like Amazon, earn their money by helping people finding the stuff they like. They do so by using the long tail phenomenon about which I wrote earlier. However, they're not needed for distribution anymore. Kelly explains, money follows the path of attention.
Kelly is the author of Out of Control, New Rules for the New Economy and the blog Cool Tools.
Enjoy!