around the 23/1/07 Michael Verdi mentioned about Re: [videoblogging] Paid Subscription + CMS that: >You could also try giving the videos away for free and make money from the >opportunities that arise from that (that's what happened to a number of >bloggers and some vloggers).
as an academic I'm just seconding Michael here. I think it's a mugs game if you think you'll earn money from subscriptions for anything in an age of wikipedia, youtube etc. Web 2.0 works on the assumption that it is an open, writable web (as does video blogging). Locking up content is the opposite of this, and brings with it a ton of problems - accuracy, since I'm paying for it, eg how quickly can you correct Pluto as a planet?, service support 24/7 since I'm in Australia and since I'm paying I expect service during my working day, how will people find it since it is probably shut to search engines as it requires subscriptions, specialisation - increasingly students and staff expect highly specialised content, and so on. Having said that, low cost very good content can be sold in this way. For example Tidbits micro book series (USD5 a pop which I'm happy to pay for since it is outstanding content and I get free updates for the title as the software it describes changes - it would be a lemon if it didn't do this). But note, this is much a shareware business model which is more what you're describing. But it has to be compelling and very good. I actually think there is more to be made in service side. Build something, let others see it, sell your expertise in how to use it and not the content (youtube, google etc work because it is a service first). -- cheers Adrian Miles this email is bloggable [ ] ask first [ ] private [x] hypertext.RMIT <URL:http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/admin/briefEmail.html >
