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Generally, they do have much more interest in pleasing their users. Not only do not-for-profits typically have some kind of explicit charter, it's usually for
by emn13 7y ago
Generally, they do have much more interest in pleasing their users. Not only do not-for-profits typically have some kind of explicit charter, it's usually for some social benefit, like "helping users". If anything; they're too helpful, and won't bash users over the head if they're being truculent, making them slow and crufty. Additionally, not-for-profits do need some kind of revenue (typically), and that tends to come from donors, which are usually... users.
If you merely mean free stuff, not literally, not-for-profit... yeah, free but for-profit is pretty much a disaster waiting to happen.
Rant: Those business models by and large should probably be hit with the ban-hammer, immediately. Of course, given the complete and utter submission of congress and indeed the very organization of democracy to vested interests, the chance of actually seeing a functioning, efficient market in our lifetimes is essentially nil.
It's ironic that traditional communism succumbed perhaps partially due to game-theoretical inherent inefficiencies, and capitalism patted itself on the back without ever really looking in the mirror. So, yay, we get to be the human guinea pigs proving that markets aren't actually intrisincally efficient at all, only efficient within their constraints, which is pretty much worthless given how hard we've collectively been trying to saw the legs out from under this construct. Capitalism is itself one big tragedy of the commons.
- tarsinge 7y agoWhat bothers me is how screwing users is becoming the new standard. For me trust in society is what enabled first world economies in the first place, instead of business being killed by people constantly looking for ways to screw you. I’m not naive, I own a business, and bad intentioned people exist and you must protect yourself, but assuming the worst in every transaction is not a normal way to think for society. For my experience usually clients trust me, and I want them to succeed with my services, and contracts and lawyers are here only for the worst case. I can’t put my finger on it or express it clearly but free market excuse « dissatisfied users can move, this corporation is responsible only for profit, everyone must lawyer up » don’t look like it’s the good direction for society. I don’t see why free market would be incompatible with an individual sense of responsibility towards society, instead of looking for loopholes to screw people. Maybe it’s a consequence of being global and having not community roots.
- JohnFen 7y ago> For my experience usually clients trust me, and I want them to succeed with my services, and contracts and lawyers are here only for the worst case. That you genuinely want your clients to succeed is probably why they trust you -- you earn that trust. I'm of the same mindset. I genuinely care about the well-being of my customers and will always work to enhancing that (even to the point of recommending competing products if they are a better solution for a particular customer). I've never lost business in the long term by doing that -- even customers I refer to competitors remember me and have an increased level of trust in me, and more often than not will do business with me in other ways. But I have an old-school attitude towards business. My goal is not to gain as much money as quickly as possible, but to build a solid business that is sustainable and profitable over the long term. In my experience, that attitude naturally aligns my business practices with societal responsibility.