Let's be honest, when you get access to something for free, does it feel like it's not particularly valuable to you? The cost factor plays an important role in creating a sense of commitment and interest in getting the most out of the content. The payment often becomes a kind of contract that motivates active interaction with the purchased product.
Many people don’t even know how in 1998 the AltaVista search engine attracted attention with its incredible performance. And it is likely that this particular product was supposed to become in the future what Google is now.
Source: theconversation.com
AltaVista was notable for its fast and efficient search. The system was built on a 64-bit DEC Alpha computing server, which made it possible to process millions of requests daily. Twenty of these servers had a total RAM of 130 GB, and hard drives contained 500 GB of information. It could accommodate 5 million simple web pages or several billion text files.
“Yes, these numbers are impressive, although they make us laugh today. But at that time, such characteristics seemed fantastic,” Vladimir Okhotnikov laments how the world of the Internet could change if AltaVista had remained on the market.
However, despite their technological superiority, AltaVista was never able to monetize their project. The transition from creating a search tool to successful commercialization proved to be a difficult task for its creators. The platform went through several owners, including Digital Equipment Corporation and Compaq, before finally coming under the control of Yahoo.
What happened before the electronics market was flooded with Amazfit and Mi Band bracelets? Jawbone has been at the forefront of offering fitness bands that integrate with smartphones and allow users to track their physical activity.
Although there were no obvious production or technical problems, the company encountered difficulties. Neither the stylish design nor the fact that they were the first saved the company from collapse.
Today we will talk with a person who is well versed in blockchain technology. He follows the latest trends in this area and is aware of all innovations in the field of cryptocurrencies.
Vladimir Okhotnikov always has a fresh look and his awareness of the concept of the Metaverse makes him look at the world differently. He believes that we are inevitably moving towards decentralization and the emergence of decentralized finance (DeFi) as an alternative to traditional financial institutions.
If the product is good, then it's worth it. If it's really worth it, then you have to pay for it.
Something similar is happening now with the Metaverses. Hundreds of thousands of people log into various projects every day, but only a small part of them stay there. And that’s all, because access to virtual reality is actually unlimited, and a person does not develop a sense of value. Therefore, if he doesn’t like something, he quickly gets used to the idea that “this is not for me” or “it’s too early.”
When a product costs money, creators have an incentive to invest effort into improving it, and users, in turn, receive a more complete and high-quality product. This approach also allows companies to support free versions of their products, making them available to a wider audience. Thus, they create a balance between providing the service for free and the opportunity to earn money in order to ensure their existence and development.
Vladimir Okhotnikov, “It’s not greed but a matter of principle”
One day I decided to purchase a fitness app with daily workouts and a personal yoga trainer. By subscribing, I hoped to get an incentive to exercise, which I had been needing for a long time due to my busy schedule.
The first training sessions were difficult for me and I felt awkward. At some point, I felt tempted to give up the whole thing and return to my normal lifestyle.
However, realizing that I had paid for access to professionally designed workouts took me out of my comfort zone. Over time, with consistency, I noticed improvements in my physical fitness. What initially seemed difficult has become a normal part of my daily life.
This experience taught me that investing in your health, even through small financial investments, becomes a powerful motivator and leads to positive results in the long run.
What if I could access the workouts for free? Of course, I would continue to study, but my motivation would not remain so high.
Don't drink whiskey, otherwise it will end up like with Instagram. And why did Amazon pay $1 billion?
Have you ever heard of Burbn, an app for whiskey lovers that allowed users to check in at different places and share photos from their meetings? Most likely not. But you are definitely using one of the functions that appeared thanks to this application.
It turned out that people practically did not use the check-in option, but they actively posted photos on Burbn - and not only with whiskey. Inspired by this, the creators decided to launch a separate photo project.
The new photo-sharing app, dubbed Instagram, attracted 25,000 users on its first day. Now more than 800 million people visit the social network every month. By the way, in 2012, Instagram was purchased by Facebook (now Meta) for $1 billion.
What do you say to this? Would you like to follow the life of some guy you don't know at all? A certain Justin Kan, having launched the Justin.tv service in 2007, began broadcasting his life online.
However, when the platform made it possible for anyone to broadcast live, something happened. Many new sections have appeared on Justin.tv, among which game streaming turned out to be just a small side project.
The audience liked the service, and in 2014 the company Amazon acquired it for $970 million, renaming it Twitch. Now this platform is the leader in the market for online broadcasts of games and e-sports.
And this is not to mention the act of Alan Shough, which subsequently brought him $40 million. He just created a hosting for the images.
Frustrated by the lack of a convenient solution, Alan wrote a website that made it quick and easy for Reddit users to upload pictures. But the guy didn’t stop there and he shared his project by uploading a photo to Reddit with the caption, “Here’s my gift: I did what you couldn’t do. How do you like this?".
What is it all about?
Over the past 10 years, technological progress has radically transformed our lives - from the way we communicate and travel to sports and nutrition. But not all startups are successful. Some companies managed to attract investment, but never entered the market, others were absorbed by large players, and others simply did not keep up with the rapid pace of progress.
As for the Metaverses, they are still at the initial stage of development, like many projects in the past. But, most likely, they will take a strong position in everyday life, like the Internet and smartphones today. And if the virtual world someday becomes paid, then it will be justified.
