Chris Anderson's FREE

An important focus of this blog is that the technologies discussed are free.


Why?  Well, why not?


Time and again the internet is providing free alternatives to otherwise pricey options.  I have been frequently focusing on Google Docs because it epitomizes the free business model offered by Anderson in his book --->


Google primarily makes their money through advertising.  New-age, inventive advertising, but advertising nonetheless.  Interestingly, this is just one prong of the 3 "free" models that Anderson proposes.

Everything that I've posted about thus far has fallen into one of these three, free categories.

Google Docs is based on Free 2.  It provides one group with a useful and free service while charging another group for the advertising service.

Dropbox and Doodle operate under Free 3: Freemium.  You are given a simple version of the software for free with the option to upgrade to the premium version for a fee.  

In his book, Anderson provides razors as an example of Free 1.  Companies like Gillette will give away a razor (seemingly a costly endeavor) and then charge you for the replacements.  The profits from the replacements is more than enough to subsidize the hand-outs.  


This all is extremely interesting because it is, quite simply, the future of online business.  Arguably we, the consumers of it all, stand to benefit the most from this revolution.  Anderson stresses the point that the "free" of yester-year is no more.  In its wake, actually free services, like Google Docs and Dropbox, are here to stay.  


Notably, there is another type of free that Anderson discusses, that of the "gift economy."  Altruism isn't a new phenomena, but the ubiquitous nature of the internet stands to expand and encourage un-reciprocated giving. As a prime example of such giving, Anderson cites Freecycle which is an excellent resource that everyone should look into.


Overall, an excellent read that will motivate you to tap into the free technologies of the future!  


You can find Free: The Future of a Radical Price on Amazon for cheap if you're interested.