I was just forwarded this amazing speech from the Web 2.0 conference last year.
Gin, Television, and Social Surplus
It’s long. But give it a click just to get a taste of what the author is talking about. The main point is that in the first half of the 1900s, massive advancements and efficiencies resulting from the industrial revolution. The result was that people suddenly had a surplus of TIME. Like lots of sudden surpluses, we were not prepared and didn’t know what to do with this suddenly available free time.
So we watched television, and media companies figured out how to extract the value out of our free time.
But like all changes, eventually, the shock thaws out and the surplus becomes a true asset. Now we demand far more in return for our time. Gomper is one of the ways that people will be able to start getting more value of their valuable asset called free time.
10 comments ↓
good article and interesting premise. Not sure what it has to do with looking at ads on my desktop for pennies and hour though? Seems like I’d rather get some good entertainment in exchange for seeing ads, rather than earning a few pennies just looking ads.
The point is that 50 years ago, consumers suddenly had free time and didn’t know what to do with it (in other words, didn’t know what it was worth). So media companies stepped in and banked all the value from this new found glut of free time.
Now it’s 50 years later, the dust has settled, and we realize how valuable our time is and how much money is spent every year buying it.
Gomper will not be “taking up your time”….you’ll spend your time the way you always did. Only now you’ll get paid for the social surplus.
how will gomper NOT be taking up a consumers time? Are you really expecting any advertiser to pay your users to ignore their ads. Please enlighten me. I am still wondering how this is beneficial to me or the advertiser? I have a feeling that your users will be the bottom of the barrel and unattractive to advertisers. These will be the folks who sign up for netflix and credit cards so they can get a free ipod or virtual good for a facebook game.
Hi Jonas. By installing the Gomper Companion on your desktop, you can essentially rent a portion of your computer screen. Your computer time is spent however you’d like to spend it. It’s just taking up about 90% of your screen instead of 100%. And if you don’t want it up right now, it closes in 1 click and all other screens resize to full screen. So we truly are not asking consumers to spend their time any differently.
The idea is that if the advertising money flows to consumers, consumers will develop more loyalty to the advertisers. That’s how it is beneficial to advertisers. Their dollars will build loyalty with consumers rather than advertising sales reps. And consumers will be more responsive, not because they will be forced to respond to advertising. But because they will be more inclined to.
Yeah, I get it. You built All Advantage again. Nothing new. Why will is work this time when it failed miserably 10 years ago? You know your advertisers will demand some sort of measurable interaction. Do you ?
Hey Jonas….for starters, the world is a very different place. History is littered with successful businesses that followed in the footsteps of failed first efforts. Visicalc didn’t make it, but it didn’t stop MS Excel from being a massive success. One of the Wright Bros died in a plane crash. Yet somehow, aviation became a big industry.
Yes, advertisers are demanding some sort of measurable interaction. That’s just it. Measurable interaction from who? From media companies? from ad sales reps? No, from consumers…and they’re demanding it because they don’t get enough of it any more from their traditional advertising buys.
Advertisers, via the new technology available, are learning to buy audiences who can take action, rather than buying media companies that herd eyeballs. Media companies are losing their ability to demonstrate efficient interaction. It’s no longer in their control. It’s in the control of consumers.
In other words, if you want measurable interaction with consumers, you’ll be a lot better off if you fairly compensate consumers.
Hi - I followed links to here from “indicee” to “sayitvisually” to Gomper in an extended clicktrance this morning. Good luck with your product - I’m interested in finding out how you might avoid people gaming Gomper using clickstream replayers.
@Admin - just a note to correct a mistake in your 12.15.09 at 3:09 pm posting - Neither Wright brother died in an airplane crash. Wilbur (the older) died of typhoid fever in 1912, probably exacerbated by a patent war with Glen Curtiss. Orville died from a heart attack in 1948, if Wikipedia is to be believed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers
Good luck!
well, I’ll be sure to stop using the Wright Bros example! Thanks. And for the good luck too
David
True their are many successes built on failure. Yet, my question for you all along is what is different this time around? You have yet to answer that question. As far as I can tell, nothing is different.
Furthermore, you have failed to explain how your service is going to increase engagement for advertisers? Basically, you are selling them un-targeted media that can be easily gamed. I don’t think that is going to increase my sales or build any loyalty.
I’ve tried to sign up for your alpha, to no avail, why not give me a tour?
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