In his New York Times bestseller, The Long Tail, Wired magazine's editor in chief provided a glimpse of the business future that's already here. An...
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Aug 12, 2011
This is a great book about economics of "Free" (as in free beer mostly). People are currently getting a lot of things for free and people and companies are getting rich by giving stuff away for free. You just have to find the right way. This book is full of interesting examples and approaches that date back to 18th century (and even more back occasionally). However I didn't exactly agree with author's description of Richard Stallman as (quoting) "...former MIT firebrand whose Free
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Aug 09, 2011
Ça me fascine de voir comment les idées les plus simplistes peuvent être transformées en des livres qui ont les apparences d’une recherche rigoureuse et abordant tous les aspects du problème, alors qu’ils passent 240 pages à éluder le principal aspect du problème. L’idée, ici : la gratuité. Chris Anderson, mieux connu pour une idée simple, The Long Tail, à partir de laquelle il a tissé une longue traîne de conférences et de revenus pour lui-même, tente la même chose avec Free, mais sa démonstrat
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Aug 03, 2011
The great clash documented in this book is between the atom economy, which is in the business of selling stuff, such as food, clothing, cars, CDs and the byte economy, which is the business of selling knowledge, image, access and convenience through products that have no physical presence.
As a late-stage baby boomer myself, I have had my own difficulties wrapping my brain around ways of thinking that come naturally to the generation that has never known a non-digital world. How to proceed with More...
As a late-stage baby boomer myself, I have had my own difficulties wrapping my brain around ways of thinking that come naturally to the generation that has never known a non-digital world. How to proceed with More...
Jan 20, 2012
Vincent
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Jan 07, 2012
Eli
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This was not exactly what I expected it to be, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. This is a look back at how "free" has played into so many markets over the years and where it may take us from here. Not really a "how to" book, but more of a history of the free price point.
There is good coverage of the different meanings of "free", including buy-one-get-one-free, free with purchase, free basic versions that have paid premium versions, and many othe More...
There is good coverage of the different meanings of "free", including buy-one-get-one-free, free with purchase, free basic versions that have paid premium versions, and many othe More...
Oct 30, 2011
Христо
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Крис Андерсън описва как “Безплатното” променя света
http://www.knigolandia.info/2011/03/blog...
“Безплатното не е сребърен куршум. Подаряването само по себе си няма да те направи богат. Трябва да помислиш творчески как да превърнеш репутацията и вниманието, които получаваш от безплатното, в пари. Всеки човек и всеки проект ще изисква различен отговор на това предизвикателство, а понякога нещата изобщо няма да се получат. Това е като всичко друго в живота - загадка е само защо хо More...
http://www.knigolandia.info/2011/03/blog...
“Безплатното не е сребърен куршум. Подаряването само по себе си няма да те направи богат. Трябва да помислиш творчески как да превърнеш репутацията и вниманието, които получаваш от безплатното, в пари. Всеки човек и всеки проект ще изисква различен отговор на това предизвикателство, а понякога нещата изобщо няма да се получат. Това е като всичко друго в живота - загадка е само защо хо More...
Jun 02, 2011
Bojan
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The best things in life are free, or so the old saying goes. These days, however, it seems that more and more companies and retailers are trying to get us something for free, and it is becoming increasingly doubtful that all of those freebies are the best that life can offer. Nonetheless, all this free stuff has certainly contributed to making many aspects of our daily lives simpler and more convenient, especially when it comes to those parts of our lives that we spend in digital world.
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May 07, 2011
Joe
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This book examines the free economy, focusing on the changes to business and society caused by the ease and availability of free digital services and products. For a topic that might seem like it might be dry, it's explored in a very interesting way in this book.
The book starts by discussing free products and services that have been around for a long time, such as "buy one get one free" deals at stores. The author discusses the psychology of receiving things for free -- a t More...
The book starts by discussing free products and services that have been around for a long time, such as "buy one get one free" deals at stores. The author discusses the psychology of receiving things for free -- a t More...
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Apr 21, 2011
Paul
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Wired magazine editor in chief Chris Anderson follows the success of his earlier book, "The Long Tail" (about mining what might otherwise be seen as marginal endeavors to create great successes), with this exploration of how we can benefit in many ways--including economically--by giving things away. It's a great complement to Tapscott and Williams' "Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything" in that it is a paean to the power of collaboration in our onsite-online
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Apr 04, 2011
Dina
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In his bestselling book The Long Tail, author Chris Anderson described some of the ways in which the Internet has influenced and changed our global economy. More specifically, he explained that the Internet has made it possible for someone to find whatever product or service they are looking for online. There is a limitless inventory, and demand for almost everything. In his new book Free, Chris Anderson delves deeper into the topic of e-commerce. Free is about a new phenomenon where busines
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Mar 16, 2011
David
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goes on too long and gives too many (similar) examples illustrating the widespread marketing of free stuff in digital/global economy, but on the whole an interesting take on a clear economic trend. Central point seemed to be that in a competitive market (which Internet fosters), price inevitably drops to, or near, the marginal cost of production, which is within rounding error of zero in the case of anything that can be stored or distributed online.
A lot of the writing is sort of a More...
A lot of the writing is sort of a More...
Nov 25, 2010
Krista
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Mar 29, 2010
Blog on Books
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Three years ago, Chris Anderson set the world on it's ear with his first book, The Long Tail; the book that first addressed the marketing phenomenon brought about by the internet, of selling more of less. As editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, Anderson is rightly seen as one of the top prognosticators when it comes to the convergence of technology and society and it was with that in mind that hopes were running high for his latest undertaking (and one that the world was finally ready for) `Free:
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Feb 14, 2010
Julie
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I'm deeply conflicted about this book. Anderson's main argument can be summed up like this: as the price of processing, digital storage, and bandwidth continues to drop, prices -- especially prices online -- will trend downwards as well, towards zero. Free (as in, no price) is not just an option online, it's inevitable. Businesses now have to compete with free on a regular basis, and that competition is increasing. On the other hand, it's possible for companies to build business models that inco
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Feb 02, 2010
Matt
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I liked this, and as little as I'm qualified to judge books that talk about economics, I thought it was a really smart.
The basic thesis, as I understand it, is to examine the different kinds of free in economic terms, and also to look at the way the introduction of free changes the marketplace. Both ideas are pretty interesting, as it turns out-- as a reader, I'm more drawn to the wonky stuff about how markets respond to free, but I think the other stuff is key to understanding just wh More...
The basic thesis, as I understand it, is to examine the different kinds of free in economic terms, and also to look at the way the introduction of free changes the marketplace. Both ideas are pretty interesting, as it turns out-- as a reader, I'm more drawn to the wonky stuff about how markets respond to free, but I think the other stuff is key to understanding just wh More...
Dec 06, 2009
Kelley
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In Free: The Future of a Radical Price Anderson insists that the way to profit online is to give products away. Of course, the intent of such a proclamation is to startle people unfamiliar with online dynamics -- which makes you wonder what tiny portion of his audience is actually startled. Even people from established industries such as newspapers and network television already know that their products only *appeared* to be free or nearly free to the consuming public. Their product certainly di
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Nov 06, 2009
Billy
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Chris Anderson did a wonderful job with this book. It is fascinating to see the economic trends of today's digital age. What I find interesting with Chris as well is the fact that he is editor-in-chief of WIRED magazine, periodicals being one of the most damaged industries by "free". Chris, however, is embracing free and incorporating it into Wired's business model. He identifies many forms of free in the marketplace and how business models have and are being developed around it.
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Sep 08, 2009
Keith
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I read this book primarily because it was, well, free, and because Chris Anderson is a well known author due to The Long Tail (which I never read but heard a lot about). In the introduction he describes how as he researched the book he encountered two different reactions to it - the younger crowd (under-30 I think it was) thought that the ideas were basically self-evident while the older crowd thought that there was no such thing as free and that there is no way you could build a business model
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Aug 25, 2009
getAbstract
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Witty, informative treatise on giving things away
Economists swear there is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone always pays. That may be true in the “atoms” world of physical things, but Chris Anderson explains why it does not apply in the “bits” world of the Internet, where “free” is the ruling paradigm. If, as Stewart Brand (founder of the Whole Earth Catalogue and the Whole Earth ’Lectronic Link) said, “Information wants to be free,” now it is, at least in many instances, partic More...
Economists swear there is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone always pays. That may be true in the “atoms” world of physical things, but Chris Anderson explains why it does not apply in the “bits” world of the Internet, where “free” is the ruling paradigm. If, as Stewart Brand (founder of the Whole Earth Catalogue and the Whole Earth ’Lectronic Link) said, “Information wants to be free,” now it is, at least in many instances, partic More...
Aug 19, 2009
Javier
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A su favor es que es un libro entretenido, que se lee muy rápidamente, y que pone encima de la mesa un necesario debate sobre cómo las empresas deben empezar a redefinir sus modelos de negocio ante la inmensidad de contenidos libres y gratuitos que están disponibles en la Red.
En su contra, creo que es un libro con algunas contradicciones sorprendentes y demasiadas simplificaciones a la hora de argumentar y defender el modelo de gratuidad de los contenidos en Internet. Estas contradi More...
En su contra, creo que es un libro con algunas contradicciones sorprendentes y demasiadas simplificaciones a la hora de argumentar y defender el modelo de gratuidad de los contenidos en Internet. Estas contradi More...
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Jul 31, 2009
Michael
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A definite must read for anyone in the business world today. This book offers a history of Free, solid examples of how Free can help grow your business as well as a compressive look at how the net is using free to grow at an exceptional (and exceptionally profitable) rate. Ever wonder why Google gives you things like Gmail, Google Docs, Google Voice, Gcal and so on for Free, find out why.
The downside, while it touches on how Free can be applied to what Anderson labels as "at More...
The downside, while it touches on how Free can be applied to what Anderson labels as "at More...
Jul 17, 2009
Joseph
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I listened to Chris Anderson narrate this book for free (he made the MP3s available on his website), which made my commutes fly by. And I guess I'm proving him right by writing this review, but I can't help notice that I'm not buying a copy of his book now, whereas I otherwise would have. But Anderson's larger point is that digital goods inexorably fall to free, so it's time to get over it and use it to your advantage. As in The Long Tail, he does a good job of laying out the phenomena, explaini
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May 24, 2010
Zed
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Bits (electrons) are the currency of much of todays information and entertainment--including software, music and literature. The costs of bits are trending towards zero, leading to a new economic paradigm.
This book is the history, psychology, and a modern view of how declining digital costs are fostering a new economy centered around reputation. The book itself is a product of the authors "Free" market ideas, ostensibly written using Google Documents and given away onli More...
This book is the history, psychology, and a modern view of how declining digital costs are fostering a new economy centered around reputation. The book itself is a product of the authors "Free" market ideas, ostensibly written using Google Documents and given away onli More...
Mar 27, 2010
Majid
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The author talks about free business models and how they work such as Google free services that make money from ads. I would suppose the book will be very useful to those who want to make start-ups as it should enlighten them of what business model they should follow. It's also useful but to a lesser extent to those who just want to know how several so-called "free" services make money. Some of the author's sayings I still remember :) (every new abundance makes a new scarcity) so a bus
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Aug 12, 2009
Jake
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I happened to stop by an internet café the day this came out so I downloaded it to my Kindle for, well, free. (It isn’t anymore). Much has been made of Anderson’s shoddy researching and citing, but that’s not enough to invalidate its value as a starting place for discussion and reflection. As a writer, I found Anderson’s approach to creator profitability to be a little dismal; when he does cite success stories in the creative world it’s almost always giants of their field, like Radiohead or Nei
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Aug 01, 2009
Mark
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There are so many things I can say about this fantastic book, but I'd like to limit my comments to a few key points:
1) Anderson does an excellent job of defining "free" particularly in what it means to the business community.
2) He demonstrates the history of free (yes, the concept of using free to generate revenue came a LONG, LONG time before the internet) and how it has worked in the past.
3) He illustrates multiple concrete examples of companies th More...
1) Anderson does an excellent job of defining "free" particularly in what it means to the business community.
2) He demonstrates the history of free (yes, the concept of using free to generate revenue came a LONG, LONG time before the internet) and how it has worked in the past.
3) He illustrates multiple concrete examples of companies th More...
Jul 23, 2009
Heather
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I got a free advance copy of this book via first reads, and was excited to read it even after reading Virginia Postrel’s review of it in the New York Times, in which she calls Free “a successful business speech between two covers, pleasant, upbeat and full of anecdotes and bullet points.” I’m not such a fan of business speeches, so maybe that description should have sent me walking the other way—but once I have a book in front of me, it’s hard for me not to read it. So I read it, and you know, i
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Jul 12, 2009
AJ
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Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads.
Free is a pretty comprehensive overview of the free business model. Anderson first outlines the history of free, the economic and psychological reasons behind free, the reason that free can exist in today's digital world, and the ways it differs from so-called "20th century free."
Anderson's points are well made, complete, and interesting to read. However, I do believe that he ignores and/or u More...
Free is a pretty comprehensive overview of the free business model. Anderson first outlines the history of free, the economic and psychological reasons behind free, the reason that free can exist in today's digital world, and the ways it differs from so-called "20th century free."
Anderson's points are well made, complete, and interesting to read. However, I do believe that he ignores and/or u More...
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Jun 17, 2011
Michele
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Gratis è uno dei manuali fondamentali per muoversi nell'economia del prossimo decennio e va letto assolutamente. Perché il tema del libro non riguarda le strategie di prezzo (insomma una questione per addetti di marketing), ma le leggi economiche: che nella cosiddetta economia digitale sono quelle di sempre... o quasi, salvo qualche dettaglio. In poche parole: il valore non si crea e non si distrugge, si sposta. Si sposta dalle aree dove c'è abbondanza (e quindi i beni di cui abbiamo abbondante
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May 04, 2010
Rob
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This relentlessly upbeat portrait of the new economy tackles one of the overarching issues of the day: as more and more of our web activity takes place at no charge, how will firms continue to make money? The answer according to internet guru Chris Anderson is to embrace this new world where things are free and to see the concept of giving things away as a relationship builder with the customer: “Freemium” if you were. Give away music downloads but charge the earth for merchandise and concert ti
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