Nostr Web Client

No prisons, no limits.

It doesn't make sense to put a jpg or a blog post behind a paywall. If it's good, it will be available for free in no time. Someone will right-click save the thing, or take a screenshot, and send it around or republish it. Trying to fight that is stupid. Putting chunks of data behind prisons is stupid.

All data can be reproduced at zero marginal cost, leading to infinite supply. That's why market prices are ridiculous for blog posts, and why it's equally ridiculous to try to sell a single blog post. What you CAN sell is access to an exclusive club or community, as well as access to the author. That's what all Twitch/YouTube/OnlyFans have figured out. But make no mistake: they're not selling JPGs. They might sell early-access (in the case of OnlyFans) which is fair, but it's not selling a JPG as you would sell an apple. Early access because if the stuff is any good, it will be available for free to anyone everywhere.

Here's the thing: people love to support other people, so let them. No limits. The success of Patreon and Substack does not come from paywalls, but from the inherent willingness of people to support others. Lean into that. Let people give without limits.

Social signaling is important. Community is incredibly important too. Do that right, and we can 100x the whole space just like a switch from $50 per game to free-to-play 100x'd the gaming industry, selling cosmetics and social status only.

Computers are copying machines. Information yearns to be free. People want to support the stuff they love, and they're willing to pay for it. Not all people, but ~4% of them. And that is enough.

Silberengel 1y ago

You know, everyone low-key hates product placement and other advertisements and people are now paying money to get the without-product-placement version. That's just arriving at a freemium model, but annoying the heck out of everyone, first, by trying to peddle face cream and vitamin tablets.

People willing to pay for things, prefer to cut the crap and just pay outright.

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Discussion

Jason Ansley | Fractional COO | Leadership Coach 1y ago

Having been in business for a couple decades now, “product placement” is less about sales and more about brand awareness.

(And admittedly I’m not 100% understanding all of your first paragraph, so please forgive me :) )

re: People willing to pay directly…

Because humans sell their attention so cheaply, most people discover (become aware) of new products via others.

This is the why the rise of the influencer has come on so strong.

However, and I think more to your point, sophisticated buyers don’t learn from influencers (those that amass hundreds of thousands of followers) Rather sophisticated buyers discover via relationship!

This is why you will see most luxury brands advertise in boutique publications or at boutiques trade shows…their sales require relationships, not transactions.