What service is currently free that would be worth paying for?
Seth Godin poses this question on his blog: What services that are currently free, would be worth paying for, and how much would you be willing to pay for that service?
The example he presents is, if you were in a crowded airport, would you pay $20 to talk to a competent airlines agent who answered the phone on the first ring? What type of service would you pay for and how much would you be willing to pay?
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11 Answers
Google.
Weather forecasts.
Maybe radio.
Fluther.
Hulu
I’d pay, I dunno… ten bucks a year – because of the high quality content. But Fluther would have to step up the Frizzer Police.
My brother got google earth. What I am wondering is how he got it for free because it is a $40 dollar program (but no money is coming out of us).
Google Earth is not a $40 program. It is free software, like everything else Google produces.
You can, however, upgrade to a “premium” version of Google Earth. I have no idea what that premium comes with, however.
I’d probably pay a small amount per year for Fluther, but only because I’m already addicted to it.
The ability to breathe. I’d definitely pay for that ; )
A full service gas station attendant. Our local gas station had this service up until a year ago. I would slip him/her a $5 to pump, clean windows and air the tires. This is especially helpful on a cold winter day with a toddler strapped into a car seat.
I would definitely say Hulu because of the amazing experience there. The content is great. The design is great. The implementation is great.
I would also be willing to pay for an online backup service such as Syncplicity. When it comes to my files, I’d be willing to pay to keep them.
Possibly Twitter. I could see myself paying a small yearly fee.
@snoopy: The thing I like about Hulu is many times I’ve found movies I was about to go out and rent already up there, with high speed internet, the high-def content is pretty sweet. I don’t mind a few commercials they’re far fewer in number than when I had cable. And it works out for me because 90% of the TV shows I watch normally are on there. I know some people don’t see it as a good fit, but it’s pretty decent for me so I wouldn’t mind paying a small fee if it was yearly.
Sadly, Hulu is available only in the US.
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