I was thinking about all of the web services I use on a daily basis and realized how I pay $0 for everything (minus Flickr.) I'm spoiled and expect everything for free. Video, music, content, conversation. Our generation asks (or doesn't even ask), someone builds it and the cycle goes on. If it came to a point where all services cost, what would I do? Here's the rundown:
Web services I currently pay for:
Flickr---the $25 annual membership is well worth it. I'd happily pay for this service for the rest of my life, although a point of security around all my photos would be nice. Heck, if they asked me for $35 a year and added in a secure back-up, I wouldn't blink.
Web services I would pay for:
Hulu - Done. $50, $100 a year---let me know. Sure, I love that it's free but I realize it's not going to be like this forever. Just give me the content I want at a cheaper price than my stupid cable company cost and I'm yours. (Plus- Hulu introduced me to Community and Arrested Development so I am forever grateful)
Dropbox - I don't pay for it now, but I would. I used to use Dropbox a lot more at Carrot Creative. If I used it more now I would definitely pay. I also know many of my friends who use it and see the value.
Facebook - I have too much of my life on it. Too many connections, too many photos. I realize that they'll probably start charging us at some point (heck, with all the changes lately I wouldn't be surprised if I got a bill for 2020)
Twitter - I'm on the fence with this one. I remember a life without Twitter, yet I use it so much now.
Last.fm/Hype Machine - They're light years better than iTunes and give me music I want to hear. A simple subscription for this service would be OK with me, as long as the contest stays as quality as it is. (P.S. Last.fm is the ONLY web service I use that I do not have the kmaverick screen name for. I own it, but used an old e-mail and can't access it. Last.fm, if you're listening, let's chat about this)
Web services I wouldn't pay for/undecided:I can't automatically say I wouldn't pay for them because I don't know what the cost would be. That said, I would definitely question my choices before putting down the credit card for these.
Blogging Platforms - Unless ALL of them start charging, I'm sticking with the free platforms. I had a conversation with someone asking if I'd pay for Tumblr. I don't know. Sure, I use it every day but it's more of my "escape" network to take a break. I don't use it as a function like the ones above. But, who knows.
What about you? What would you pay for? Fill out the quick survey below. I'll post the responses if I get a substantial amount. Should be interesting.
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