Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.
Re: CallTheShots and Economics
Author: Dennis Peterson Posted: 11/17/1999; 12:03:28 PM Topic: CallTheShots.com Msg #: 13160 (In response to 13141) Prev/Next: 13159 / 13161
Exactly. I think CallTheShots is not only fair, it's the way the Web is supposed to work. Given the fact that it's the end user "calling the shots," not a website publisher, and that the system always places links to the original content, I think it would be hard to argue against it. People get sued for deeplinking, but nobody gets sued for "deep bookmarking."However, I would argue that to truly reach the potential of the Web, even web publishers should be able to do this, as long as those links back to original sites are maintained. If it doesn't fit the current economic model, fine--we should find new ways to make money that naturally fit with the technology, instead of attempting to artificially restrict the technology so we can still make money the old way.
One possibility for a new economic model: Bruce Schneier's Street Performer Protocol. The basic idea is, once I've gained a reputation as a producer of good content, I make an announcement like this: "I have produced a new album (book, song, whatever). I will release it to the public once $X is deposited in this trust account." Once I release it, it's free to copy. Schneier of course works in some cryptography to make the whole thing secure, let people get their money back if I don't release the content, etc.
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