News International doesn't get it, but YouTube does!

News International doesn't get it

The Times online has lost 1.2 millions users in the first month behind a paywall and that's despite a massive introductory offer giving subscribers 30 days' access for £1, its normal pricing a single day's access!

Whilst it's still too early to say for sure that News International's experiment has failed, the prospects certainly don't look good. I'm pleased to say that I, along with many others, predicted this (The end of the age of free - NOT!) for a simple reason.

YouTube gets it

As we all know, people upload videos to YouTube in breach of copyright. So what does a company that gets it do. Well, they don't shut them down and sue. They find a way to turn it to their (and the copyright owners) advantage: they make a win-win-win out of it.

How? By serving adverts on the relevant content, automatically identifying the copyright owner and sharing the revenue (more). Clever!

Can you get it?

The web is fundamentally free. Websites need to add value to attract visitors at all; if they want to charge they have to add a lot of value. And value is not producing something available elsewhere for free.

Once you have attracted visitors who value what you do, then you can generate value in return. But that value must be commensurate. Viewing ads, not charging. Permission to email, not signing a contract.

This is a lesson for all of us. If you want to achieve anything online, think what value you can give to your target audience. Once you have users who appreciate that value, then and only then you can ask for something in return.

Published by: Mr Tom Barnes

Published 19th August, 2010

Add comment