No More Free Lunch!
This week one of my favorite services, iwantsandy.com, announced it would shut down in less then 2 weeks [update the creator has stated he will now extend the shutdown to give users more time totranstion]. Sandy was a virtual assistant program which allowed you to email appointment and tasks to the system and it would schedule those items and even remind you when asked. Sandy was a service that never started charging and ultimately when the developer opted to take a paying job with Twitter was something he chose to no longer maintain and while Twitter has taken over the IP of the project they have no plans to support or use the technology in its existing form.
Like many fledgling web 2.0 services, Sandy had people who were more then just users rather they were fanatics about the service. Unfortunately when using a free service one can not place to many expectations on its on going existence and while many have asserted they would have paid for the service we will never know if Sandy was a sustainable business or not.
So in a world where hanging out a virtual shingle and starting up a web2.0 endeavor is as simple as slapping down your Visa card, is there a new paradigm that needs to emerge.
iwantsandy is an unfortunate example of things gone off track. A good and unique service which never really tried to make it as a business but none the less left many hanging and created much bad will in its wake. Some might assert that theiwantsandy endeavor has hurt cloud computing endeavors as a whole because it flaunts the fact that a seemingly viable free services can not be depended on.
So what services are you using for free? Are you growing dependent on some service but not willing or have not helped that services to become a viable business? If you are willing to promote and proselytize a service via your powerful social network, do you have an obligation to help that endeavor become a viable business through some form of legitimate revenue generating interaction?
Do you run or want to create a web2.0 service and are struggling to figure out how to start it and then convert it to a sustainable revenue generating business?
Is the excuse that it was free therefore “we had no obligation to you” really hold water or if you proselytize your endeavor and take aid from others in making that endeavor better do you owe some loyalty to those who participated in the process?
Are the users the solution or part of the problem?
I think in the end the thing about iwantsandy that hurts is that it seems like they did not try. They developed and sold a dream and never once said it was just a lark. He did not ask for aid in making it a viable business and when ultimately the developer needed to get a job he tossed the project aside leaving all those he “sold” on the endeavor left holding thin air.
