Monday, October 12, 2009

If Facebook Wasn't Free, Would You Waste So Much Time There?

IF FACEBOOK BECAME a subscription based product, how much would you pay? Would you pony up $25 for a year of the greatest time-suck since the invention of television? How about $100 per year?

Or should everything online continue to be free?

Is there a lesson for journalism here? People love facebook. Why don't they love traditional journalism outlets? What do traditional journalists need to do to get some love?

18 comments:

bethany said...

?uestlove is the man.

Megan McNerney said...

There is no way I would pay for facebook nor do I think anyone else would. I actually think making people pay for it would be the perfect way to break people's addictions. Poor college students cant afford to pay $100 a year, or even $25 for facebook. Some people would, but unless it was only like $10 a year i don't think enough people would pay to keep it popular.

Anonymous said...

i agree with bethany

Wafai Dias said...

I would not pay for face book. Everything online should continue to be free. The only journalists I give love to is when yahoo or msn have a really interesting story that keeps on switching to other stories. And even then I never read the story I just skim through it, get what I want from it, then exit.

Anonymous said...

FELICIA TOPSALE SAYS................I don't use facebook and I certainly wouldn't pay to use it either. Someone might be shocked to hear this but I don't think facebook is important...for me or anyone in my social circle. I have about two or three friends who are on facebook, but they use it as a way to go on dates or find people they haven't spoken to in years. I think more traditional journalists should really stick to writing their own blogs. Do people have web pages anymore? I'm still a fan of magazines and newspapers. I get dizzy when I look at a computer screen for more than ten minutes. I think everything on line should be free but a serious problem will occur when print magazines and newspapers become obsolete. Information Web sites will probably have no choice but to charge people to read because online sites have to make money one way or another.

Matt Tumasz said...

No one in their right mind would ever pay for facebook. That would be ridiculous. Roots <3

Isabel Garcia said...

Personally, I initially would decline paying a fee to use facebook. It is when I would come back from classes one day, go to relax and check my "notifications" only to remember I was adamant in not subscribing to a website that does nothing but help me procrastinate. I know I would absolutely CONSIDER paying a fee at some point; maybe not $100, but the mere thought of paying anything to use facebook would cross my mind at some point. Realistically, I believe a majority of the people would retaliate and form a new version of facebook or better version, themselves. Unless a specific regulation system is developed, charging people to use certain internet sites would simply not end up working out. The internet is a free market-place of ideas and a physical form of collective intelligence; someone somewhere would find a way to recreate or reinvent a fee-free facebook should there ever be a charge.

Geo said...

That is a fantastic point! Start charging and the people will revolt and form a new source!

That is a HUGE lesson for journalists, especially those thinking about establishing a pay wall for content on their sites.

Excellent thought, Isabel.

- Geo
(the teacher who would gladly watch FB fade into distant memory)

Sydney Taylor said...

Psh, paying for Facebook is ridiculous, it's like buying procrastination on a stick.

Gabby Ryan said...

There isn't a chance on God's green earth that I would ever pony up even $1 to pay for facebook. The day facebook starts charging is the day I create my own site where I can do the same thing for free. No one in their right mind should pay for facebook nor do I think they would.

Floc said...

As lame as it sounds I would pay the money; definitely 25 and possibly 100, but not much higher. I use facebook as not just as a social distraction (though I do more often than not), but I use it as a tool. I use it to keep up with friends and see how they're doing. As a form of media convergence it's more convenient than anything. It's Twitter, Photobucket, MySpace, Xanga, AOL Instant Messenger all rolled into one. I use it as an organization tool more than anything. Many extracurricular groups use facebook as a way to contact their members. It's also very effective in terms of organizing events (though the maybe factor is very annoying). Yes, it's a huge distraction from homework, but it's a way for me to keep in touch with family, friends, classmates and even teachers. Though obviously I wouldn't want to pay for it, I would.

Geo said...

I'm sure you aren't the only one, Matt.

- George
(the teacher who thinks the other honest people are too shy to admit they'd pay for facebook)

Sarah Eve said...

We don't really need facebook and we don't need to pay for it either. I know facebook makes keeping in contact with people more organized but the basic forms of communication still exist. Has everyone forgotten about telephones? We could easily say the same things as we post on someones wall in a quick phone call or text message.

Anne Fogarty said...

I would never pay for facebook, even knowing how much time I spend on it. One of the draws for facebook in the first place was that--according to its homepage--"Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life. It's free and anyone can join." When I first got a facebook back in 2006 there really weren't THAT many people I knew on there, but it beat myspace in photo capacity (at that time--myspace has now changed their photo policies for the sake of competition), aesthetic, and basic function. I have to say that with all the layout changes, advertisers, middle-aged people on there for creepy "professional marketing" reasons, facebook chat, and unnecessary crap on there, facebook has definitely lost some of its original appeal for me. Once I started getting friend requests from my lonely, unemployed aunt in Illinois, I started playing with the idea of when I'll give up on the social networking. All in all, if it weren't a free service, there's no way I would put up with or find myself glued to facebook so much. Not a chance.

Steph Ferretti said...

I would never pay for facebook and I hope that no one else would. If you want to keep in touch with friends, then you can easily call, email or write them. There is no need for anyone to want to pay for facebook.

Gaby Pirozzi said...

If I had to pay for facebook I would never have one. I am on it all the time and I still think it is a waste of time. You go on your computer to write a paper, and it seems like your rewarding yourself after every paragraph with facebook.

Kyia Davis said...

I would pay to use facebook.Just kidding, I would never pay for facebook or any other networking site. Free is always better.

mollie said...

i WOULD pay for facebook, if it wasn't free anymore. and i know millions of people would too. i can't get enough of it. i love it.