Today’s generation has grown up on the internet and as a result, has become accustomed to the concept of free. Free news, free games, free TV, free music – name it and you can get it (and more) on the internet without paying a penny. So who pays the bill? Uncle Freemium does.
The Freemium business model was originally defined by venture capitalist Fred Wilson in 2006:
“Give your service away for free, possibly ad supported but maybe not, acquire a lot of customers very efficiently through word of mouth, referral networks, organic search marketing, etc., then offer premium priced value added services or an enhanced version of your service to your customer base.”
Since then, the linguistically blended word, or “portmanteau,” has [...]
Last year we saw our economy hit an all time low and as a result, the unemployment rate soared. This year promises to be different, thanks to a rise in social gaming. Not only are fresh start ups creating jobs, but the social networking and gaming industries are rapidly creating a virtual economy. But…how does one profit in this essentially “fake economy”? And more specifically, how does SGN turn (fluff) munny into real money? And what does this mean for the real world?
The initial answer: monetization, or the act of turning something (i.e. virtual goods) into real money.
It’s easy to see the importance of monetization through one of SGN’s most popular games: (fluff) Friends. Players choose a fluff and then [...]
It is no fruit that’s for sure. The most popular Android phone, Motorola’s “Droid” is the first to be equipped with Google’s Android OS 2.0 and it – and its newly released sister phone, the Google Nexus One – are sending vibrations through the smart phone market . The Android clan is just getting started—but is its presence strong enough to shake Apple from the smart phone family tree?
Type “twitter” into the Apple App search box and pages of frustratingly similar clients pop up. There are so many similar apps available on the iPhone that it is confusing at times. Just look to the blogosphere to see what I mean. Competition is fierce and sites like applerejectedme.com and other online [...]
