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Should the internet be free?

Should the internet be free?

  • The internet should be even more free than it is now. Everything should be free.

    Votes: 3 12.0%

  • It's fine the way it is.

    Votes: 16 64.0%

  • We're mooching. We should be paying our fair share based on our use.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other (Please elaborate)

    Votes: 6 24.0%
  • Total voters
    25
radcen

radcen

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Should the internet be free?

Of course, not everything is free. Some sites charge. But most still do not. It's not an absolute, nor is the question/poll intended to be absolute.

A local radio talk show host was opining the other day that virtually nothing on the internet should be free. You should have to pay something for all of it. His reasoning was the current business model cannot hold up, and needs money.

Should you be required to pay something for virtually everything?

Sites like DP cost money to run, and so far has existed on donations. Other similar talk forums do the same or similar.

News sites, which was the host's primary example... some charge, some don't. That's a case where, I believe, most eventually will.
 
radcen said:
Should the internet be free?

Of course, not everything is free. Some sites charge. But most still do not. It's not an absolute, nor is the question/poll intended to be absolute.

A local radio talk show host was opining the other day that virtually nothing on the internet should be free. You should have to pay something for all of it. His reasoning was the current business model cannot hold up, and needs money.

Should you be required to pay something for virtually everything?

Sites like DP cost money to run, and so far has existed on donations. Other similar talk forums do the same or similar.

News sites, which was the host's primary example... some charge, some don't. That's a case where, I believe, most eventually will.
Click to expand...

I doubt it would make sense to make it a free good. But I honestly haven't seen a study on the external effects, costs and benefits so my mind is still open
 
radcen said:
Should the internet be free?

Of course, not everything is free. Some sites charge. But most still do not. It's not an absolute, nor is the question/poll intended to be absolute.

A local radio talk show host was opining the other day that virtually nothing on the internet should be free. You should have to pay something for all of it. His reasoning was the current business model cannot hold up, and needs money.

Should you be required to pay something for virtually everything?

Sites like DP cost money to run, and so far has existed on donations. Other similar talk forums do the same or similar.

News sites, which was the host's primary example... some charge, some don't. That's a case where, I believe, most eventually will.
Click to expand...

How would you pay for the labor, equipment and R&D?
 
radcen said:
Should the internet be free?

Of course, not everything is free. Some sites charge. But most still do not. It's not an absolute, nor is the question/poll intended to be absolute.

A local radio talk show host was opining the other day that virtually nothing on the internet should be free. You should have to pay something for all of it. His reasoning was the current business model cannot hold up, and needs money.

Should you be required to pay something for virtually everything?

Sites like DP cost money to run, and so far has existed on donations. Other similar talk forums do the same or similar.

News sites, which was the host's primary example... some charge, some don't. That's a case where, I believe, most eventually will.
Click to expand...

His reasoning seems pretty stupid it is based on one theory or another.

The internet has been around now for over two decades and the only overall problems with it seem to be pretty minor
 
Slight nudge here, you're not talking about the internet but the web. Long ago when the web was born there was an internal debate among sysadmins as to whether there would be commercial content carried on the web or if we would stick to the web's founding purpose (to share [scientific] info with the world). The consensus was that the web would host commercial content and the USENET would be left commercial free.
 
radcen said:
Should the internet be free?

Of course, not everything is free. Some sites charge. But most still do not. It's not an absolute, nor is the question/poll intended to be absolute.

A local radio talk show host was opining the other day that virtually nothing on the internet should be free. You should have to pay something for all of it. His reasoning was the current business model cannot hold up, and needs money.

Should you be required to pay something for virtually everything?

Sites like DP cost money to run, and so far has existed on donations. Other similar talk forums do the same or similar.

News sites, which was the host's primary example... some charge, some don't. That's a case where, I believe, most eventually will.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...




Any site that charges visitors will have to get by without me.

Broadcast TV and radio don't charge a fee (Except for what some countries charge on electric bills.) and you can watch and listen to them all over this planet.
 
It's fine the way it is and we are paying for it.

However, it is not to say that we shouldn't try and change the way we handle net neutrality as I have stated, we never really had net neutrality. Now, and for the past 2 years, since internet speeds have gotten higher (we're talking about 250mbps to 1gbps bandwith people) and can be very affordable, and since the net services are diversified (like streaming) we can have proper, genuine net neutrality, enforced by law and the government to keep the companies out of managing and interfering with our bandwidth. So this is why it's important to have a good net neutrality legislation and it is precisely why it is today that there are debates on net neutrality.
 
It's not entirely free. I pay for it monthly, along with my cable and cell phone bills. It really is amazing. Remember when you used to have something hanging out on the edge of your memory and you couldn't quite grasp it and it would drive you crazy?
 
X Factor said:
It's not entirely free. I pay for it monthly, along with my cable and cell phone bills. It really is amazing. Remember when you used to have something hanging out on the edge of your memory and you couldn't quite grasp it and it would drive you crazy?
Click to expand...
True, but the gist of the question regards individual sites that you visit, and so on.
 
radcen said:
Should the internet be free?

Of course, not everything is free. Some sites charge. But most still do not. It's not an absolute, nor is the question/poll intended to be absolute.

A local radio talk show host was opining the other day that virtually nothing on the internet should be free. You should have to pay something for all of it. His reasoning was the current business model cannot hold up, and needs money.

Should you be required to pay something for virtually everything?

Sites like DP cost money to run, and so far has existed on donations. Other similar talk forums do the same or similar.

News sites, which was the host's primary example... some charge, some don't. That's a case where, I believe, most eventually will.
Click to expand...

The term [u[]the internet[/u] includes servers, ISPs and lots of individual sites. Many "free" sites are simply funded by advertisers in place of user fees. Others, such as Angie's List, rely on user fees to try to keep their content honest (unbiased?). I have no complaints so long as the gov't does not try to (further) tax access or control content (beyond protection of copyrighted material).
 
radcen said:
True, but the gist of the question regards individual sites that you visit, and so on.
Click to expand...

Ah, I see. It's like the local newspaper here. Any article that's in the paper can be found on their web site so I wonder why anyone still even gets the paper. I know some news sites require a subscription but I have never once subscribed to one of those.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
The term [u[]the internet[/u] includes servers, ISPs and lots of individual sites. Many "free" sites are simply funded by advertisers in place of user fees. Others, such as Angie's List, rely on user fees to try to keep their content honest (unbiased?). I have no complaints so long as the gov't does not try to (further) tax access or control content (beyond protection of copyrighted material).
Click to expand...

I chose the "fine as it is" option. I have no issues if a site wants to charge for whatever reason, though I'll be honest and say that I prefer free (to me) sites. Personally, I rarely pay for a site, though I have on occasion.

I am fine with advertising on sites, to a point. I have encountered a couple sites where it the advertising overwhelmed the content, and at that point I just went elsewhere. It was a disrespect of my time.

Agree about the tax comment.
 
X Factor said:
Ah, I see. It's like the local newspaper here. Any article that's in the paper can be found on their web site so I wonder why anyone still even gets the paper. I know some news sites require a subscription but I have never once subscribed to one of those.
Click to expand...

Right. I've met a guy high up at our local paper and he said they struggle with this. They current have a free onsite version with a little over half their content and a pay version with everything. They have no idea, though, where the future will lead them.

Papers like the Wall Street Journal can get away with charging more aggressively, but local papers generally cannot.
 
You know those cool recipe books at the checkout at the grocery store? I used to buy those all the time. Still have my old copies. But, I stopped buying them when I realized I could get all those recipes... and more... for free on the internet.
 
Right now, it would not be realistic to make it 100% free. However, as the technology develops further I think it is an inevitability that wifi/cell phone service will become free just like air and water.
 
As is. The web should be accessible to all. If a site charges, then I hope others spring up that offer the same services for free.
We pay enough as it is for just having internet services.
 
Lovebug said:
As is. The web should be accessible to all. If a site charges, then I hope others spring up that offer the same services for free.
We pay enough as it is for just having internet services.
Click to expand...

So, the money the site ops pay to publish that site, they should just eat it so you can have free stuff? It costs in time, hardware, provider fees and salaries.
 
clownboy said:
So, the money the site ops pay to publish that site, they should just eat it so you can have free stuff? It costs in time, hardware, provider fees and salaries.
Click to expand...

I am sure they are amply rewarded by advertisement.
Some sites also offer free service while promoting their own products. Business people always find a way to supplement.
 
Lovebug said:
I am sure they are amply rewarded by advertisement.
Some sites also offer free service while promoting their own products. Business people always find a way to supplement.
Click to expand...

Which users routinely strip with software and don't pay much more than a pittance to begin with. When your product is information, ala newspapers, the only way to sell that product on the web is to charge for access. Just ask LexisNexis.
 
The internet should be like it is now, with free browsing to most sites. Also, we need more competition in the ISP market, and the prices should be much lower due to increased competition.
 
radcen said:
Should the internet be free?

Of course, not everything is free. Some sites charge. But most still do not. It's not an absolute, nor is the question/poll intended to be absolute.

A local radio talk show host was opining the other day that virtually nothing on the internet should be free. You should have to pay something for all of it. His reasoning was the current business model cannot hold up, and needs money.

Should you be required to pay something for virtually everything?

Sites like DP cost money to run, and so far has existed on donations. Other similar talk forums do the same or similar.

News sites, which was the host's primary example... some charge, some don't. That's a case where, I believe, most eventually will.
Click to expand...

We DO pay for the internet, the same way we paid for free TV, with advertisements.

But then, beyond that, liberals think everything should be free. No news there.
 
Helix said:
The internet should be like it is now, with free browsing to most sites. Also, we need more competition in the ISP market, and the prices should be much lower due to increased competition.
Click to expand...

I pay the phone company for my internet access.
 
Helix said:
The internet should be like it is now, with free browsing to most sites. Also, we need more competition in the ISP market, and the prices should be much lower due to increased competition.
Click to expand...

We can thank our government for blindly approving mergers of large corporations for that.
 
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