When I was a kid and my Mom asked me to do something, I would try to be cute and do it different. If she asked me to mow the lawn, I’d mow it in circles instead of rows. Sounded fun, but it looked like crap. Instead of walking my dog, I tied her to the handlebars of my bike. The dog got more exercise and I didn’t have to work very hard. Unfortunately, she pulled so hard she ripped the handle bars off the bike. No more bike for me. In the 70′s that was tragic, my bike was my life. To my mom “getting cute” was over thinking something that already worked and screwing it up by trying to do it differently.
My Mom’s classic line: “Stop trying to be cute and just do it right”.
If given the chance, I think that ‘s what my Mom would say to Amazon. “Stop trying to be cute and just do it right”.
Amazon just announced their inclusion of all blogs into their Kindle store. This is great news if you author a blog. Kindle owners can now access your blog from their device. Making all blogs available on the Kindle was smart. Here is where Amazon isn’t too smart and where my mother would say they are trying to be cute. Amazon is going to charge for blogs. Kindle owners will have to pay $1.99 a month, per blog. That’s over $100 bucks a year to follow just 5 blogs on a Kindle. Aren’t blogs free? Why do I have to pay Amazon to read on their device, what I can read on any other device for FREE?
I think this a big mistake on Amazon’s part. I’m seriously looking at buying a Kindle. One reason I’m drawn to it is for blog reading. But not if I have to pay to read them.
There are too many other ways to access the blogs I read for free, to find value in paying to read them on a Kindle. Blogs are free, to get cute and try to change that is foolish.
I think the value of the Kindle isn’t to the readers of blogs, but to the authors. I won’t pay 1.99 a month to read a blog on a Kindle, but as an author, I would pay 5-10 bucks per month to have this blog available to Kindle users.
The problem with Amazons strategy is there is no blog reader market today. Readers don’t pay for blogs, the authors do. There IS an author market however. Authors pay designers to create themes, authors pay hosting fees, and in some cases authors pay to market their blogs. There is a blog author market.
Trying to create a blog reader market, where one doesn’t exist, doesn’t make sense. Readers don’t pay in any way to read a blog. They don’t pay to access, they don’t pay to read, the don’t pay to share. Why try to change this? Amazon should target the authors. They already pay. If you sell enough Kindles, make it easy to for people find and access blogs, the authors will pay. I know I would.
Trying to get people to pay $10-$100′s of dollars a year for something they’re currently getting for free is what Mom calls . . . “trying to be cute”.
Amazon, just mow the lawn in rows, it’ll get done faster and look better.
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I couldn't agree more.
A newspaper charges its customers for the privilege, and we all know how well that is working. Even with a full day’s worth of content, written by a staff of professional writers, newspapers are losing readership.
While the kindle has a unique opportunity to step in a offer a product that potentially offers a much more satisfying experience to the reader, Amazon's approach to making money with this new technology is inherently flawed. Amazon needs to make using this technology as friendly as possible (i.e. free) in order to attract as many readers as possible. Charging the author is one interesting revenue stream, but good old fashioned advertising side by side with the content would seem the most likely source of revenue.
Build the base of customers and the money will follow.
Comment by Bernstyles — May 15, 2009 @ 7:48 pm
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I agree. I set up Uptown Uncorked on the Kindle yesterday because I believe in offering my readers a way to read the blog in whatever medium they choose to. (It's one reason I continually experiment with audio files, though I've yet to find an audio reader that works well)
I was quite disappointed to see that I had no way to offer my blog for free when setting it up on Kindle. However, I am using it as inspiration to write more regularly and add value to people who do choose to consume it that way, and will check back periodically to see if they add the option to make it free.
Comment by geechee_girl — May 16, 2009 @ 9:30 am
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I will be adding my blog too. Ubiquitous access is something I belive
in. The Amazon model should be to make as much content available.
Free blog access would do wonders for the Kindle AND blogging.
Hope they figure this out.
//keenan
Comment by Keenan — May 16, 2009 @ 12:18 pm
4
Jim,
I tend to agree with you about Amazon being cute, but are we being dumb? I like your blog, I like my blog, and I like a lot of blogs, are you're right- they're free. But should they be? Once upon a time you use to have to pay for content, especially good content, but not anymore. Maybe this is an attempt by someone to get at the true value of blogs? Maybe only 5% of the blogs out there are worth a damn, but if you could package up that 5% what would that be worth?
Matt
Comment by Matt Morava — May 16, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
5
Matt,
Once upon a time water was free.
Business models change, with the explosion of information, control of information it is not longer a valid business model.
I think we are in a transition period. We are about to see tremendous innovation in business models. Amazon's Kindle blog model isn't it.
Comment by Keenan — May 16, 2009 @ 4:27 pm
6
Jim,
Good point. I'm not saying Amazon has the answer, but what if someday soon someone finds a way to make money off of blogs? Off your blog? You cool with that? Where would you draw the line- you can use my content as long as you get cited? What if your content is pulled without your consent and your name is not used?
I don't back this model, I just find it interesting… I think there are many conference rooms all over the country that are working on models that turn all this blog content into profit.
M
Comment by Matt Morava — May 16, 2009 @ 5:19 pm
7
“Build the base of customers and the money will follow”
Exactly Bern, plus the Kindle costs $395, the more content that's on
it, the more reasons to buy it. Amazon should want to make me want
it, feel like I can't live w/o it. Each person who can't live w/o it
gives them $395
Comment by Keenan — May 17, 2009 @ 8:33 pm
8
“Build the base of customers and the money will follow”
Exactly Bern, plus the Kindle costs $395, the more content that's on
it, the more reasons to buy it. Amazon should want to make me want
it, feel like I can't live w/o it. Each person who can't live w/o it
gives them $395
Comment by Keenan — May 18, 2009 @ 3:33 am