Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Looks like we are nearing the end of the Great Free Internet Ride.
First email, then content and now even ecard sites are turning pay.
When 123india.com and USA.net decided to charge for its value-added email service, there was a huge hue and cry about what was basically a free service turning pay.
But with the dot come dream turning sour, you couldn't probably expect companies to continue bleeding simply to support a free service.
The Newspaper Today, an excellent online newspaper and one of my bookmarks, went pay about two weeks ago. I wonder how the response has been.
Caltiger.com, one of the first to offer free connectivity in India, yanked the plug on its free service this Monday (December 10, 2001).
I also learnt yesterday that Bluemountain.com, that pioneer of ecards, and AmericanGreetings have also started charging for their services.
What a pity!
First email, then content and now even ecard sites are turning pay.
When 123india.com and USA.net decided to charge for its value-added email service, there was a huge hue and cry about what was basically a free service turning pay.
But with the dot come dream turning sour, you couldn't probably expect companies to continue bleeding simply to support a free service.
The Newspaper Today, an excellent online newspaper and one of my bookmarks, went pay about two weeks ago. I wonder how the response has been.
Caltiger.com, one of the first to offer free connectivity in India, yanked the plug on its free service this Monday (December 10, 2001).
I also learnt yesterday that Bluemountain.com, that pioneer of ecards, and AmericanGreetings have also started charging for their services.
What a pity!
# posted by Ashok @ 11:14 PM 
