In an earlier post, I shared the process I perceive many Web 2.0 services are going to follow, if they have not already. Here is that simple to observe process:
- Put your data in the cloud computing app (e.g. Gcast)
- The vendor that runs the app decides they need money to support it (e.g. support costs no longer allow them to offer a $99 annual fee for free).
- They start placing advertisements but then realize that just isn’t working well enough.
- They find a way to commercialize/monetize what they have and put a ring in your nose.
Today, I see that Gcast has begun to follow the same process of charging for the service they provide…which means I’ll be abandoning it since I have no intention of getting my district to pay for it:
As you know, we have been offering the ability to podcast by phone for several years. Up until now, this service has remained free for you to use without limitations.
We have been incurring significant costs to keep this service free and we now must take steps to lower our cost.
Beginning April 1, 2009, we will be charging a subscription fee of $99 for this phone-in service. It will still be free to upload content through our website.
Additionally, the subscription usage will be limited to 2 hours in any 90 day period.
If you have any questions about this, or would like to sign up for a subscription, please contact ….
Gcast, go ahead and terminate my account. Thanks!
What’s the lesson? Well, it’s that if you want these kinds of services, isn’t it better to adapt free open source software tools so that you can host them yourself in your district rather than run out to “free, let’s hook them first with our services” simply because we want to avoid the learning conversations that have to take place?
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Sure, you are right (and I assume this is part of your advocacy for Moodle), but, as much as I am an advocate for Open Source (and as much as I am NOT going to pay $99 for gCast… especially if they are going to limit it to 90 minutes every two months… lame!), there isn’t an open source alternative. And, in most cases, the commercial/free online is better than the open source alternative. There are notable exceptions (OpenOffice, for example) but that is part of the problem…
Sure, you are right (and I assume this is part of your advocacy for Moodle), but, as much as I am an advocate for Open Source (and as much as I am NOT going to pay $99 for gCast… especially if they are going to limit it to 90 minutes every two months… lame!), there isn’t an open source alternative. And, in most cases, the commercial/free online is better than the open source alternative. There are notable exceptions (OpenOffice, for example) but that is part of the problem…
Jason, this post isn’t advocacy for Moodle, but rather, advocacy for schools being self-sustaining as much as possible. We’re constantly reading how this or that web 2.0 tool is going to revolutionize education…and some do offer incredible potential but in the next breath, we find ourselves having to move beyond TEACHER use of these tools to systemic use by the organization at a level where the costs will be picked up by the org. And, that happens with much less frequency than an individual teacher shelling out a few bucks (or $100 annually).Why don’t web 2.0 advocates push for free open source software development that ultimately gives schools the freedom to choose rather than advocating for 3rd party vendor hosted tools that are here today and gone tomorrow if their business model doesn’t catch on?I sense the implosion is about to begin as services offered for free contract, and school 2.0 advocates better have built their walled gardens or they’ll have nothing.
Jason, this post isn’t advocacy for Moodle, but rather, advocacy for schools being self-sustaining as much as possible. We’re constantly reading how this or that web 2.0 tool is going to revolutionize education…and some do offer incredible potential but in the next breath, we find ourselves having to move beyond TEACHER use of these tools to systemic use by the organization at a level where the costs will be picked up by the org. And, that happens with much less frequency than an individual teacher shelling out a few bucks (or $100 annually).Why don’t web 2.0 advocates push for free open source software development that ultimately gives schools the freedom to choose rather than advocating for 3rd party vendor hosted tools that are here today and gone tomorrow if their business model doesn’t catch on?I sense the implosion is about to begin as services offered for free contract, and school 2.0 advocates better have built their walled gardens or they’ll have nothing.