Consent Decree with the Open Web Shuts Down Times Select

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Consent Decree with the Open Web Shuts Down Times Select
"Whether or not content wants to be free", writes Jeff Jarvis, "it is free." He is writing of the New York Times decision to knock down the pay walls and open its subscription service, Times Select, to free access. This is significant. This isn't just Radiohead releasing its latest album on a pay-what-you-want basis (something Jane Siberry started a couple of years ago). This is a recognition that, in order to generate revenue, content needs exposure. Rosen writes, "you can try to charge, and some people will pay, but there is more money and a brighter future in the open flow of Web traffic... Just as RSS sends stuff from the middle of the stack out...every barrier you create to their participation with your product weakens your revenue stream..." The same is true of education. More...