Tag Archives: product

The weird world of free apps and services

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It has been said that, if you don’t pay for the product, you are the product. Sometimes you are made feel that it’s not true, that even if you are using a service for free, you are treated like a paying customer. But now and then you are reminded that you also get what you pay for.

If you are not paying for their service, and their apps, you really don’t have much bargaining power. As in, they are not dependent on your money. All they need to do is to make the source of their economical support is happy.

Most of the time these companies, that only wants your attention and user metrics, do a good job at making their non-paying customers very happy. And down the line they discover they are somewhat dependent on their users, even if they are just using their product for free.

Which is why it was really interesting yesterday to see the reaction when 6Wunderkinder, creator of Wunderlist 2, announced they had just released their app on Android tablets.

When Wunderlist 2 was released, it was only made available on the iPhone, and they told their iOS users that an iPad version of Wunderlist 2 was still under development.

Fair enough. They work hard on their products, they’ve made them freely available and they are pretty good.

After being asked why they haven’t released Wunderlist 2 for iPad, yet had time to finish a version for Android tablets, their standard answer became, it’s coming very soon.

I can understand they are excited about their new app for Android, but I would dare to assume a better approach, looking at it from a PR perspective, that it would have been a better decision to release Wunderlist 2 for Android tablets and iPad on the same date.

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Become a puffer fish

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You don’t get there by acculturating. Don’t become a well-rounded person. Well rounded people are smooth and dull. Become a thoroughly spiky person. Grow spikes from every angle. Stick in their throats like a puffer fish.
– Bruce Sterling

This pretty much sums up my approach to journalism, writing and life – and how I’ve especially approach it online via this blog and Twitter.

As some of you might’ve figured out, my real name isn’t Dokter Waldijk. It’s only a nom de plume I’ve adopted. Not to fully hide my true identity– as you might find my real name if you dig deep enough, tho I still avoid facial photos –but for the originality of it.

More importantly, it was to repackage myself as a product– as we all are now –the product being a journalist inspired by Gonzo Journalism.

Three years ago I would probably not openly admit my [legal] usage of cannabis and that I rather become ‘intoxicated’ from that instead of alcohol. Nor would I go out and risk being arrested for covering a peaceful protest in a western democratic country.

But now I do.

Why?

Because I’m sick of pretending to be perfect, acting accordingly to how society expects me to act. I’m tired of being this dull yes-man.

Just open any newspaper, left leaning or right leaning, doesn’t matter, they will both warn you about the rise in crime, dangerous drugs and that we must be suspicious of one another – watch out for anti-social behaviour they say; also watch out for unattended bags.

While it’s okay to send death threats to scientists, but criticising religion is not okay.

No one cares about rules anymore, so why should I?

Fuck it!

It’s a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die.
– Hunter S. Thompson