3 ms·

how differently would you feel if the same workshops were given away for free? I mean, if I can't charge for the workshop, my primary aim is self-promotion, ri

by lsc 16y ago

how differently would you feel if the same workshops were given away for free? I mean, if I can't charge for the workshop, my primary aim is self-promotion, right? is that more or less scummy? (now, speaking as someone who /has/ given free workshops to nerds, you have to be very careful about that self-promotion. Giving an actual sales pitch at a LUG is about the quickest way I know to get a bad reputation. Much worse than giving a technical presentation and doing it badly, or even doing a technical presentation and revealing incompetence.)

nkurz 16y ago
I feel much better about workshops that are given for free, although you are right about the delicate balance between reputation and self-promotion. I could feel just as good about offering the workshop as a bonus for existing customers, or for workshops where the price charged is commensurate with the cost to run. It's possible that I'm just not a very good free-market capitalist. For example, while I want prices to reflect demand, I get uncomfortable at what I feel are extremes. What's a fair price for a drug being sold to someone with an otherwise terminal disease? Does this change with the actual effectiveness of the drug, or just on the 'buyers' belief in the effectiveness?
- lsc 16y ago
  eh, you are just used to commodity markets (which really, I think, is where free-market capitalism outdistances everything else so sharply) In a commodity market, nobody can charge much more than the cost of production or else you get competition undercutting you. Of course, nearly everyone puts a whole lot of effort into convincing customers they are not in a commodity market. Personally, I'm also much more comfortable in commodity markets as well... and in my space, because everyone else is trying so hard not to be a commodity, this isn't as hard as you'd think. But yeah, lots of people are offended when you charge more than a reasonable margin over the cost of production, as you would if it were a commodity. But you know what? nearly all software companies don't want those people as customers, simply because if you apply the commodity model of capitalism to software, you get open-source software. the thing is, companies like 37 signals, I don't think, care that they offend people who expect to pay commodity prices. Most businesses want customers who are willing to pay a premium for a premium product. Now, if I were to run a workshop, I'd be very concerned, because my customers are people who want to pay commodity prices; people who would be offended by large profit margins. Some people say those are bad customers to have; I mean, if I can't stay ahead of the crowd price wise, I'll sink pretty fast. On the other hand, serving this market is much easier (well, for me, anyhow) than serving the 'premium' market. It's a market I understand, though, and one that is under served.

by lsc 16y ago

nkurz 16y ago

I feel much better about workshops that are given for free, although you are right about the delicate balance between reputation and self-promotion. I could feel just as good about offering the workshop as a bonus for existing customers, or for workshops where the price charged is commensurate with the cost to run. It's possible that I'm just not a very good free-market capitalist. For example, while I want prices to reflect demand, I get uncomfortable at what I feel are extremes. What's a fair price for a drug being sold to someone with an otherwise terminal disease? Does this change with the actual effectiveness of the drug, or just on the 'buyers' belief in the effectiveness?

lsc 16y ago
eh, you are just used to commodity markets (which really, I think, is where free-market capitalism outdistances everything else so sharply) In a commodity market, nobody can charge much more than the cost of production or else you get competition undercutting you. Of course, nearly everyone puts a whole lot of effort into convincing customers they are not in a commodity market. Personally, I'm also much more comfortable in commodity markets as well... and in my space, because everyone else is trying so hard not to be a commodity, this isn't as hard as you'd think. But yeah, lots of people are offended when you charge more than a reasonable margin over the cost of production, as you would if it were a commodity. But you know what? nearly all software companies don't want those people as customers, simply because if you apply the commodity model of capitalism to software, you get open-source software. the thing is, companies like 37 signals, I don't think, care that they offend people who expect to pay commodity prices. Most businesses want customers who are willing to pay a premium for a premium product. Now, if I were to run a workshop, I'd be very concerned, because my customers are people who want to pay commodity prices; people who would be offended by large profit margins. Some people say those are bad customers to have; I mean, if I can't stay ahead of the crowd price wise, I'll sink pretty fast. On the other hand, serving this market is much easier (well, for me, anyhow) than serving the 'premium' market. It's a market I understand, though, and one that is under served.