Internet users have grown accustomed to free content. But this is not without its problems. Jeff Chandler used to produce a Weekly WordPress podcast. His last podcast, “I tried,” is dated back in December. It’s a long, tired explanation about the difficulties of pouring so much energy into an endeavor that has no substantial financial return. As he moves toward marriage and maintains a full-time … more »

In this video, I asked Char James-Tanny and Bill Swallow to comment on the controversy over free versus pay-per-content models online, especially as it applies to STC content with the Body of Knowledge, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and other information products.

Chris Anderson’s analysis about the economy of free (or “freeconomics”) is about the most fascinating thing I’ve read in a long time. Everything on the web is trending toward free — how are companies turning free into a business model? Anderson explores various reasons for the zero cost trends and lists several strategies companies are using to turn free into a profit.

What can Technical Authors learn from celebrity chefs and musicians? Cherryleaf Technical Authors Blog. Ellis is a marketing genius, so I pay attention when he writes on this subject. In this post, he explores a business model behind giving away content for free. You give some content away for free, but in return collect an e-mail address that you pass to your marketing team, who … more »

Free WordPress Themes | Shanghai Tech Writer.

Free Clipart and images | Quentin Brown

In “FREE: The Economics of Abundance and the Price of Zero,” Wired magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson talks about the gift economy and how you can make products free without losing your financial return. One idea that caught my attention was to give your products away for bloggers to review. With one of his previous books (The Long Tail, I believe), Chris says he sent out … more »

TechSmith is providing free downloads and licenses for copies of SnagIt 7.2 and Camtasia 3.1. The current version of SnagIt is 8.2 and Camtasia is 5. Still, for totally free software, you can’t beat this. Thanks for the tip from Jeff and Digital Inspiration: How to you get them? SnagIt Step One: Download it here. Step Two: Visit the TechSmith website here and request a … more »