On paying for internet services, and the human condition
A brave experiment on people's willingness pay has been - how can I put this delicately - a complete and utter failure.
NZ Flatmates has been a hit, with 10,311 profiles created since a January 6 relaunch.
The listings site was created by a team that includes Dylan Bland (best known among the Twitterati for his day job at e-tailer Mighty Ape, and as the founder of Zillion, which he sold to Sella, now part of APN).
Mr Bland built the original version of the site back in 2001.
In an experiment for the relaunch, he and his team abandoned a formal fee structure in favour of donations.
Sounds like a good plan. The internet community is solid, and if you give people the opportunity, most people will do the right thing.
Right?
Wrong.
Of the 10,311 people who registered profiles, a grand total of six made a voluntary payment, Mr Bland wrote today on his blog.
"We're effectively still a charity," he told later told NBR.
NZ Flatmates is now considering a range of fee options, including charging people to create a profile, to contact someone, or for a priority listing.
In the meantime, ad revenue is "almost enough to cover costs."
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On paying for internet services, and the human condition
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