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  • Stop Saying 'If You're Not Paying, You're The Product'

    mze ( profile ), 05 Feb, 2019 @ 08:36pm

    Re: Stop Saying 'If You're Not Paying, You're The Product'

    No, Mr. Masnic. I will not stop using that sentence. You are incorrect. And your inspiration is incorrect.

    I'm not sure who you are trying to impress here but it ain't me. Judging from the responses that you are getting here, they aren't either.

    I'm sorry but there is no other way to put it.

    A man that runs a magazine publishing company may be worst person to serve as your inspiration. Talk about a conflict of interests. He may be intelligent and articulate but none of those things make him correct. It might earn him a following but that's not the same thing either.

    Print magazines present the illusion of the user paying for the services. They charge a newsstand price to cover the cost of distribution but their advertising revenue represents the cost of publishing.

    No business and no business model can honestly cost nothing. Aside from profit there are bills to pay. Follow the money and you will find the source. It may be in the form of contributions or it may be in the form of a different source of revenue like advertising. Why do you think that they call it 'junk mail' or 'spam'?

    What's more is that the advertising model has a long history so it's easy to rationalize. There was Montgomery Ward catalog known as the 'Dream-book' It was a thick book that was nothing but a thick ad for M-W's product line.

    Next time that you want to publish a piece, Mr. Masnick, I suggest that you do a bit more research.