I have a friend who is doing some work for one of the Internet’s earliest entrepreneurs. He started out from humble roots – one of his earliest entrepreneurial endeavors was collecting wayward hubcaps and selling them to a local body shop. But he also had an aptitude for computers so he earned himself a scholarship to Stanford.
One of his first businesses was the only one in the phone book with the word Internet in its name. People would call him up and ask, “Is this the Internet?” He’d say “yes” and try to sell them something.
Which eventually led to the innovation that earned him his fortune – he created an adult friend finder site. Through a lot of twists and turns, he realized that what people wanted to do was send/receive racy pictures and he created the platform so that they could do that. His motivation, as he tells the story today, was to help people be less lonely.
It also turns out that is one of the things people are willing to pay for on the Internet.
The story makes me think about how the Internet has evolved. I started my career as a computer consultant fresh out of college with my electrical engineering degree just as the Internet was starting to become publicly accessible. Both professionally and as a consumer, it’s been fascinating to watch how money has shaped the Internet.
We like to gripe that everyone likes short form content because of short attention spans. But might it be that investment is at play? I rarely read a 7,000 word post that is available for free, but I’ll read an article of that length from the Atlantic in part because I paid for a subscription.
There’s a lot of irritation about the numbered of sponsored spots on social media apps. But if we as users aren’t paying, should we be surprised that the corporations who pay to advertise drive content?
When we sign up to use free functionality, we pay for it in other ways – like giving up access to our data. Like using a free newsletter service often doesn’t come with the ability to export the list if we want to move on. And that’s just one of the ways our data is being used.
Speaking as a writer on WordPress, I’ve found it easy to write and publish. But way harder to market something. It seems we’ve made the Internet a great place for individuals to give content away, but a tough place to sell content.
For me it adds up to that truism you get what you pay for. I’ve recently tried to be more intentional about spending currency (whether it be time, attention, or money) on the things I value. As a start, I’ve purchased more books from the authors I read here on WP, I’ve narrowed down the applications that I use, I’ve tried subscribing to the publications that I find have merit.
Just like the story of the Internet entrepreneur, I’ve found that the word Internet is often paired with a sales pitch. So here are some things offered by authors and artists on WordPress:
Surviving Sue by Vicki Atkinson
Grow Damn It!: The Feeding and Nurturing of Life By Cheryl Oreglia
Voices: Who’s In Charge of the Committee in My Head? by Julia Preston
Don’t Lose Your Head by Dave Williams
Earthly Days By Cheryl Batavia
Midnight Victories by L.K. Latham
Jewelry by Claudette Creative Designs
Finding My Father’s Faith by Wynne Leon
Jazz on King by Todd Fulginiti
Re-Create and Celebrate by Cindy Georgakas
“Love” Art Journal Workbook by Tamara Kulish
Conversations with Dad by Deb Farris
Be a Happier Parent or Laugh Trying by Betsy Kerekes
No Time for Kings by Mark Petruska
Any other suggestions? Please put them in the comments!
I’ve published a post about personal expectations on my personal blog: Romancing the Stone
I also post at the Heart of the Matter blog, a great shared blog of personal storytelling with a podcast that features inspirational creatives and a team that teaches/speaks about corporate creativity. My book about my journey to find what fueled my dad’s indelible spark and twinkle can be found on Amazon: Finding My Father’s Faith.
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter @wynneleon
(featured photo from Pexels)
Lovely work you do here! I just realized I was unfollowed, so now I’m back. I had a bunch of glitches back in October, and lost most of my followings… Thankfully I’m up and running again.
Thank you for linking to my gift shop. ❤️
Aren’t those glitches frustrating? Thanks, Claudette!
Such a great post, Wynne…I’m always flummoxed by the potential blended with conundrums about algorithms, marketing and making our way through the gauntlet of stuff – resources, subscriptions, what I need…what I can manage to read/digest. With you all the way! (And thanks for the beautiful round-up of links to wonderful work of writer/entrepreneur friends. Honored that you included me!) 🥰
“flummoxed by the potential blended with conundrums about algorithms, marketing and making our way through the gauntlet of stuff – resources, subscriptions, what I need…what I can manage to read/digest.” Yes! I think that is pervasive, Vicki!! Well said!
Thanks for this list. I’ve never attempted to sell anything online, feeling I wouldn’t be up to the marketing angle of it. I’m still an idealist who thinks it’s better for me to continue to defy the old adage, you get what you pay for. I offer quality for free which may be going out of style now.
I love your content and idealism, Ally! And yes, you really deliver. More than that, you are such a unifier of people and goodness on WP!
And for the record, I think there is a lot of good, free stuff on the Internet. I was aiming the “you get way you pay for” adage at the overall content on this platform that is gaming, porn and corporate heavy at times.
Yes there is a lot more undesirable stuff online now than even 2 years ago. I try to avoid it all, but cannot always do so. 🤨
Love these links Wynne, some wonderfully creative and caring creators here. Glad to have gotten to know many of them and awed by their work!
I was thinking of your recent list highlighting the great stuff our WP friends have created. So love being part of this community with you, Brian!
I can’t speak to how WordPress used to be or anything like that, but it really is a neat community, full of some talented folks, and all very giving. Neat to see.
You’ve given me a pause to think about what data I’m giving up for free. I also love your list of authors and books. I follow several of them, but now I need to read more of them.
Oh yes, that whole question of the data that we are giving up is a post (or many) of its own. Providers make it so easy to give up those key pieces of information!
Scary.
I used to download a lot of free resources from the Internet but I stopped at a certain moment because I realized that they were sitting in my folders, well organized but never opened. I started also to reduce the number of subscriptions to whatever websites, blogs, forums, etc. for the same reason, I never read them. There is too much to read and I am happy that you shared that book list so next time I look for something to read I know where to look.
I love that you have your content well-organized. That fits with what I know about your efficiency. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Cristiana!
So funny to read this after a conversation I had yesterday about what things were like “before the internet”. Like you, I will pay for things that I value. I don’t have a problem with ads on social media sites but when more than half of the posts I see are paid content (hello Instagram), the balance feels off a bit.
Thanks for the list of wonderful creators. So far, I haven’t attempted to sell anything on my blog, although I may be wading into those waters later this year. Wish me luck!
I hear you about the balance feeling off, Michelle! And if you launch something to sell, count me in as a buyer!
“It seems we’ve made the Internet a great place for individuals to give content away, but a tough place to sell content.”- this could not be more true in my opinion! In music- the streaming services make it very easy to release music but very difficult to make any money.
Thanks for the list of creative works by WP authors- what a great idea!! (and thanks for including me!) I have often wished there was a list like this – I’m going to bookmark it😎
Oh, I’m glad you like the list. Yes, I liked that line – it matches my experience too!
Very interesting! I found that when I offered free ebook versions of my books for a limited time, I didn’t get as many downloads as when people bought the books. I guess people feel they have gotten more value when they pay for it.
Wynne, I’m reading this after I had to step away from reading for a bit in order to write. I often have to set aside one for the other. Slower reader that I am, I need time to absorb and respond meaningfully, because what else is there? Your words ring so true. I’ve focused in on fewer blogs with rich content and I’m rarely disappointed. I’ve also discovered an undercurrent of synchronicity that is delightful! It feels like old friends you don’t have to see in order to stay connected. You have consistently provided this for me here, as well as those you have connected me to. I’ll enjoy getting to know anyone I don’t know on your list. Thank you for the quality and creativity. And yes, thanks so much for including me!
Hi Wynne,
I tried to respond to this before but alas it hasn’t gone through from my phone. I hope you get this. I just wanted to thank you so much for including me on this list. I’m so honored and very appreciative. You have a wonderful blog and provide wonderful insights❣️