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You don't define "good quality anything" so it's a little hard to know how I should read this. In many cases it is certainly false. There is a lot of content th

You don't define "good quality anything" so it's a little hard to know how I should read this. In many cases it is certainly false. There is a lot of content that can be produced, albeit at a reduced rate, when not being worked on for free. Though yes of course there is a lot of content that requires too much investment to be realistically produced in someone's spare time. But that's always been the case. I guess I don't fully understand your point. That people value the wrong things? (I would strongly agree.) I don't think you're quite right that people feel entitled to receive things for free because the fact is that they are provided things for free all the time. You're not having trouble monetizing things because no one will pay, but really because no one feels the need to pay. Given the deluge of content available, the relative value of yours just maybe isn't that much by average people. There is a very large amount of free content of extremely high value. This predates the internet, but with the internet we are flooded with it. That's why this statement (at least made so generally) is definitely wrong: > That's the issue here. You can't really have it both ways.

DoreenMichele 9y ago
There is a very large amount of free content of extremely high value. This predates the internet, but with the internet we are flooded with it. That's why this statement (at least made so generally) is definitely wrong: > That's the issue here. You can't really have it both ways. The fact that you can access it without paying for it doesn't mean it didn't involve substantial resources to create it. Acting like one should not have to pay anything to cover those costs is the essence of expecting slave labor. In every single discussion I have seen on HN on this topic, that is what boils down to. Whatever time, education, experience, effort, and other resources it took to create quality content gets hand waved away with "well, I can get it for free now. So why would I pay?" Never mind that these discussions are inevitably in relation to an article about advertising, how much people hate it, how evil it is and so on. Those ads are how free content and free services and free internet stuff came into being. You ultimately can't have it both ways. People want ads to die. Those ads pay for all this stuff you take for granted will be available for free. Reiterating that you aren't willing to pay doesn't solve the problem under discussion here. Ads are the mechanism that made stuff "free." If people want them to disappear, then they need to find another means to finance that content. Without that, ads are here to stay and their aggressive, manipulative approach just gets worse in the face of ad blockers etc.
- CogitoCogito 9y ago
  > The fact that you can access it without paying for it doesn't mean it didn't involve substantial resources to create it. Acting like one should not have to pay anything to cover those costs is the essence of expecting slave labor. I've never said such a thing. In fact, I agree 100% with this comment which you also apparently agree with: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16307617 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16307617 You must read my comments here with that context. I agree 100% with that comment and it also accurately describes my writing process as well as my rate of output. Nothing said there contradicts my posts.
  - DoreenMichele 9y ago
    That comment was actually being sympathetic to the idea that content creation is undervalued by most people. It seems rather unpalatable to me for you to use it to support your position that content creators should apparently not expect to be paid. You seem to think everyone should be a high paid developer and any writing they do should be on the side. It spits on the idea of writing as a profession. Or other content production. Anyway, I don't really see this as a productive or constructive exchange. So I don't imagine I will continue it.
    - CogitoCogito 9y ago
      I don't believe (nor do I believe I have expressed) this: > You seem to think everyone should be a high paid developer and any writing they do should be on the side. Also when you say that my position is "that content creators should apparently not expect to be paid" I would say that (1) that is not really either a good description of my beliefs in general, but (2) that yes there are many cases where you shouldn't expect to be paid simply because of what's already available. This is no value judgment and honestly I can't understand how you could reasonably disagree. I also don't recommend swimming upstream and expecting the same results as still water. The market for content and ideas is as it is and to no one should expect to be able to ignore that and live in their bubble. I'm fine ending this exchange. It's clear to me that we would need to be in the same room with a cup of coffee and some patience for you to understand me. You're hung up on certain ideas I have not professed and seem to be reading my posts within a historical context of many other posts. That's unfortunate because I don't think we disagree very much in general. I generally respect as well as agree with your posts on HN. Regardless, I hope you find a way to work as you wish and support yourself.

DoreenMichele 9y ago

There is a very large amount of free content of extremely high value. This predates the internet, but with the internet we are flooded with it. That's why this statement (at least made so generally) is definitely wrong: > That's the issue here. You can't really have it both ways. The fact that you can access it without paying for it doesn't mean it didn't involve substantial resources to create it. Acting like one should not have to pay anything to cover those costs is the essence of expecting slave labor. In every single discussion I have seen on HN on this topic, that is what boils down to. Whatever time, education, experience, effort, and other resources it took to create quality content gets hand waved away with "well, I can get it for free now. So why would I pay?" Never mind that these discussions are inevitably in relation to an article about advertising, how much people hate it, how evil it is and so on. Those ads are how free content and free services and free internet stuff came into being. You ultimately can't have it both ways. People want ads to die. Those ads pay for all this stuff you take for granted will be available for free. Reiterating that you aren't willing to pay doesn't solve the problem under discussion here. Ads are the mechanism that made stuff "free." If people want them to disappear, then they need to find another means to finance that content. Without that, ads are here to stay and their aggressive, manipulative approach just gets worse in the face of ad blockers etc.

CogitoCogito 9y ago
> The fact that you can access it without paying for it doesn't mean it didn't involve substantial resources to create it. Acting like one should not have to pay anything to cover those costs is the essence of expecting slave labor. I've never said such a thing. In fact, I agree 100% with this comment which you also apparently agree with: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16307617 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16307617 You must read my comments here with that context. I agree 100% with that comment and it also accurately describes my writing process as well as my rate of output. Nothing said there contradicts my posts.
- DoreenMichele 9y ago
  That comment was actually being sympathetic to the idea that content creation is undervalued by most people. It seems rather unpalatable to me for you to use it to support your position that content creators should apparently not expect to be paid. You seem to think everyone should be a high paid developer and any writing they do should be on the side. It spits on the idea of writing as a profession. Or other content production. Anyway, I don't really see this as a productive or constructive exchange. So I don't imagine I will continue it.
  - CogitoCogito 9y ago
    I don't believe (nor do I believe I have expressed) this: > You seem to think everyone should be a high paid developer and any writing they do should be on the side. Also when you say that my position is "that content creators should apparently not expect to be paid" I would say that (1) that is not really either a good description of my beliefs in general, but (2) that yes there are many cases where you shouldn't expect to be paid simply because of what's already available. This is no value judgment and honestly I can't understand how you could reasonably disagree. I also don't recommend swimming upstream and expecting the same results as still water. The market for content and ideas is as it is and to no one should expect to be able to ignore that and live in their bubble. I'm fine ending this exchange. It's clear to me that we would need to be in the same room with a cup of coffee and some patience for you to understand me. You're hung up on certain ideas I have not professed and seem to be reading my posts within a historical context of many other posts. That's unfortunate because I don't think we disagree very much in general. I generally respect as well as agree with your posts on HN. Regardless, I hope you find a way to work as you wish and support yourself.