HN Explorer

Ask HN: Is Murdoch Right when he says "The current days of the Internet will soon be over"?

7 points by mildweed ↗ HN
The nature of the net is constantly changing, granted. But what he's really positing, is that the free ride is over. Ad-based support isn't enough for content. How can we prove him wrong? In what ways have we already?

8 comments

[ 5.0 ms ] story [ 32.0 ms ] thread
vaksel
He is in the newspaper business, its in his best interest to kill the ad supported model
[dead] Slzr
To tell the truth, its too much freedom for the big brother to allow it.
xsmasher
It will become a mix of free and paid services. Broadcast TV was free in the US (ad supported) because it was impractical to bill for usage. Now the cable and satellite rule the roost, we pay for some channels (HBO, Showtime) and some content (on demand) while others are still mostly ad supported. The HBO model is not for everyone - would you pay $20 a month for the scifi channel? I don't love Boa vs. Python that much.

The net is a mix too - I pay for web service and email service, event though there are free alternatives. If iphonedevsdk or stackoverflow changed to a fee structure, I'd join. However, if Facebook or Reddit or went paid, I'd stop showing up.

xsmasher
Now that I've stated thinking, I'm curious: other than server/email/backup space, what paid memberships/websites do you subscribe to?
magikcrow
Think about the scam that the newspaper business pulled on hemp during yellow journalism. I think it was hearst that owned land with trees to be used for paper. (I forget off hand who it was for sure) Hemp would produce 4 times the amount of one acre of trees. He printed all kinds of bogus stuff to protect his interests. Now we're in a huge mess because of his greed. Don't let Murdoch make a similar mistake with the net.