I use multiple computers, running multiple operating systems. so I find it extremely convenient to access my mail through the GMail web interface, I do all my blog reading through Reader online, and I am amazed about the usage of Google Documents which could be my single content repository for all my articles and writings once they fix a couple of things. I am also keen on sharing my photos with my family through Picasa.
The thing is, I am starting to feel the limit of free usage, and now that I am thinking about subscribing to all the services I’d like to use, and wonder what this “freedom would cost me” ?
I am thinking about the future – whats going to happen once subscription based services would be the way to run my digital life. What would the price be. Would i be caught up with expenses – which might could exceed what i am having today?
Now I am totally accepting the fact that I will have to pay for someone’s effort to implement all the RoR-AJAX apps, run the services, provide reliable backups, and so on. I don’t mind paying for value. I think what needs to be done though, to make it actually feasible to choose the Web instead of the desktop, is to bundle these services as affordable packages rather than paying to 10 different sources for services.
Now some of that is already happening, as Yahoo! and Google is buying up services, and many startups are working towards the goal of this happening with them as well. However, there should be a way to provide lower cost bundles of independently operated “Web 2.0″ services as well. Maybe Internet providers, maybe media companies, maybe even payment providers like PayPal should step in, and provide this aggregation and provisioning services to new startups.
This would drive more users to the new services. I would be more keen on trying new stuff, if I would know that my low cost “gLife” subscription would cover 10 different services, and I don’t have to commit one more item to my monthly service charges. Keeping the overall costs low and bundled would also mean that I don’t have to be worried about being cut off from my documents, photos, websites, if I have a bad month financially.
I don’t want to see a “Walmart of Web based services” that would totally suck out the revenue from the little guys really, I want a convenient mall where service providers could rent space – and I could shop around without too much hassle.
Filed under: Opinion
