What's worth paying for online?

[QuikSand]

Interesting question came to me this morning (for some reason I have since forgotten)... in the modern ager where there is so much damned informaiton out there that's free... what sort of thing do you find actually worth paying for online?


This is fantasy football season -- seems like a good example. There are any number of sites out there that will give you free analysis, cheat sheets, news updates, and so forth. There are also other sites that charge you money for the same sort of thing. If you're the type to pay for this sort of thing -- what pushes you over the line from a free-rider to a paying customer?

Fantasy football league host sites - probably the same argument, I guess.

Same goes for lots of stuff, I guess. I know I pay for a subscription to Consumer Reports and use their online reviews probably 10 times a year. But there's no shortage of places to go to get somebody's review of a given product. I just have had so much success with CR, and find their purpose to be sufficiently noble as well, that I don't really mind paying. But I also suspect I'm a bit skewed toward the "willing to pay" than are many/most others.

Newspapers, magazines, pr0n, who knows what else -- there's some line that divides what you get for free and what you pay for. Are you the type to pay? If so, what makes you do so? A fairly low price? A dynamite content difference? Loyalty? Something else?

What about sites that are technically free, but ask for a donation if you're a regular user? How often do you knuckle under and offer up money for nothing?


Just a curious phenomenon to me... and this seems like a fair place to fish it around a bit.

[MJ4H]

I can't remember ever paying for anything online. The only money I've spent over the internet has been poker and buying a product on ebay or software. I doubt I will ever pay for a subscription site.

[vex]

Subscription to SoonerScoop.com is the only thing I've ever paid for on a regular basis online.

EDIT: and thanks to ct for reminding me, hattrick.

[cthomer5000]

I also can't recall paying for any online content at any point. And as far as donating/upgrading at free sites I remember pitching in the $20 or so for the hattrick supporter thing a while back. Outside of that donating to IHOF is the only other thing I can think of.

[Maple Leafs]

I pay for all sorts of content online. Basically if I think the content I can buy is even slightly better than what's out there for free (and it usually is), I'll consider paying. Having been on the content creation side of things, I believe that good content is always worth paying for, even online.

[FrogMan]

I forgot about the Hattrick supporter thing, yeah been paying yearly for the last three years of that but it's given me back plenty of hours of mindless fun.

As for paysites, I subscribed to footballguys.com for a few seasons then last season switched to thehuddle.com (for no real reason other than having daily news). I figured that I used to buy some $30 or more per year in all sorts of football magazines (fantast and NFL preview mags) that were outdated the minute they hit the stand so I stopped buying these and paid one yearly subscription. I decided to go all free this season.

FM

[Crapshoot]

I might for Baseball Prospectus - but THT has pretty good analysis as well. I know someone who pays for ESPN so I use their account - but I might pony up for that. I imagine if there was some access I could get online (The Atlantic to take one example), I probably would pay for it - but I still have an odd fascination with paper copies.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

I decided to go all free this season.

FM

Got any tips for good free fantasy football sites?

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

I pay for all sorts of content online. Basically if I think the content I can buy is even slightly better than what's out there for free (and it usually is), I'll consider paying. Having been on the content creation side of things, I believe that good content is always worth paying for, even online.

For some reason, I find this incredulous. In my years of doing historical, genealogical, general interest/academic research online, I have never found the need to "pay for all sorts of content online". It usually, though, takes more digging beyond the search engines. There are some where I had to pay a subscription, like to certain genealogy sites, but most software comes with free subscriptions anyway. If there was a source I needed to pay for, I would avoid that and use other channels to get it free. Most of the other academic subjects have superb knowledge that are purposefully free - that being the essense of how we got the web in the first place. Beyond that, I never ever support sponsors but I have helped cyberfriends through donations.

[Arctus]

I have online subscriptions to Beckett Magazine's Baseball Card and Football Card Price Guides. Its cheaper than the magazine and offers much more detailed pricing.

[rewissick]

I've been a subscriber to Baseball Prospectus for about 4 years now, and wouldn't think of canceling it anytime in the near future. I just find their thoughts and analysis to be refreshing, and use their roto-stat tool each spring for my drafts. Ever since I've started using that tool I've been able to finish in the money in my main league, so I'll stick with it for no other reason than I'm a bit superstitious. For the cost ($40 a year, iirc) it works out to a pretty low charge per article each day.

I paid for a few months of Baseball Mogul on-line when it first came out...then I realized what a mistake that was.

Besides that, I haven't paid for any online content/sites. I usually feel that I need to justify the expense by taking in all that I can from what I buy, and I don't feel I have the time or inclination to spend that much time staring at a screen.

[VPI97]

http://www.books24x7.com

Online reference books

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Got any tips for good free fantasy football sites?

I will start scouting for real this weekend, as our draft only starts next week, so I'll probably find more then, but here are a few that I've used over the years:

KFFL hot off the wire is free.

www.footballdiehards.com is pretty good. They put out some 20+ pages weekly reports for free, or at least you only need to put in an email addy.

www.draftsharks.com has some very good tips. (edit: but they've gone all pay it seems)

www.footballguys.com has a news blogger that is also free

Hope these helps...

FM

[wade moore]

Minor Threadjack:

QS - do you find the only CS content to be worth the extra money above and beyond the subscription? I've had a magazine subscription for years and it is my bible during certain purchases, but I've never seen the on-line site in action.

[st.cronin]

I used to have a subscription to Baseball Prospectus, but when it was time to re-up I realized the only column I read regularly was the medical column by Will something, so I let the subscription expire.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

For some reason, I find this incredulous.

Alert! Alert! Please use the correct word "incredible" here. I do not think this means what you think it means...

[digamma]

I subscribe to pay sites for college football recruiting information and premium message boards.

[spleen1015]

I pay for footballguys.com because I like the Draft Dominator application and I like the weekly e-mails. A buddy and I split the cost every year.

[stevew]

I'm pretty well a big time free stuff advocate. I use as much freeware as I can, I just don't see the need to buy a lot of it. The other day my dad was talking about shelling out around 100 bucks for 2 years of Norton, and I just couldn't imagine paying that.

As far as pr0n goes, it is unbelievable to me that anyone would pay for it. No real reason to when there is so much free content. A house guest of my brother in law once charged something like 200 dollars onto BIL's bank for porn. Gizoogle bitches.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by VPI97

http://www.books24x7.com

Online reference books

Interesting enough that I've requested a trial - expensive enough to make me dubious that I'll subscribe ...

[Pumpy Tudors]

Not counting GameFly (which doesn't fit in with the spirit of Quik's question, I think), the only things I subscribe to are porn. Lots of porn. It's so hard to find porn on the internet that I decided to go ahead and put out the $10/month to get 5 JPEG files delivered to my e-mail address every day. Sometimes, it doesn't really seem to be worth it, but I'm only paying $0.33 per picture, so I could be doing worse.

I'll probably re-up my EverQuest II subscription soon, too, but I think that might also be something different than what QuikSand was talking about.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Not counting GameFly (which doesn't fit in with the spirit of Quik's question, I think), the only things I subscribe to are porn. Lots of porn. It's so hard to find porn on the internet that I decided to go ahead and put out the $10/month to get 5 JPEG files delivered to my e-mail address every day. Sometimes, it doesn't really seem to be worth it, but I'm only paying $0.33 per picture, so I could be doing worse.

I'll gladly email you 5 JPEGS a day for only $7.50 a month!

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I'll gladly email you 5 JPEGS a day for only $7.50 a month!

I'll do it for $7!

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I'll gladly email you 5 JPEGS a day for only $7.50 a month!

*no home movies please

[Desnudo]

Things I will pay for online: porn
Things I won't pay for online: everything else

[Pumpy Tudors]

Wow, people are bidding for the right to send me porn. This is a huge development.

[GoldenEagle]

Why would anyone pay for porn on the Internets?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Why would anyone pay for porn on the Internets?

Because they will send you 5 JPEGs a day direct to your e-mail. No visiting websites to clutter up your Internet Exploder history, so wife can't see.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Why would anyone pay for porn on the Internets?

Because porn stars are no different than Lars Ulrich. Well, except for in one way, I imagine.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Wow, people are bidding for the right to send me porn. This is a huge development.

spleen's quadruple penetration spectacular is on it's way via the tubes.

[sovereignstar]

People that aren't paying for their porn should be shot; their mothers too.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

People that aren't paying for their porn should be shot; their mothers too.

That's "People who..." Let's show some respect - this is a QS topic.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

That's "People who..." Let's show some respect - this is a QS topic.

Grammar Gaggers IV

[Pumpy Tudors]

Question for QuikSand: Is there an online version of Black Tail, and how much would you pay for it?

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Question for QuikSand: Is there an online version of Black Tail, and how much would you pay for it?

That was one of the most interesting references in quite some time. It wouldn't suffice to leave it at Playboy...he had to throw Black Tail out there. Too funny. Either it was polictical correctness or Q has broad tastes.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Either it was polictical correctness or Q has broad tastes.

Now that shit made me LOL when I read it as written.

[rkmsuf]

policktickle

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

policktickle

Apparently you have specific plans for your Black Tail.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

For me, it's mostly about convenience. I pay for a subscription to the WSJ and tax research sites.

I don't care for newsprint, it gets on my hands and all over my desk, plus I'd have to go track one down and I don't have time for that. The web version is so much easier, and cleaner. Plus they archive their articles, which comes in handy for my job.

The tax research sites are something I consider to be a huge timesaver - I don't have to hunt through pages and pages of legal books to citate a case or find a Revenue Ruling and all the cases that cited that ruling. It's saved me a ton of time, and my sanity.

I'll ocassionally hit the tip jar at blogs that I find entertaining, but I wouldn't pay a subscription for one.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

For me, it's mostly about convenience. I pay for a subscription to the WSJ and tax research sites.

I don't care for newsprint, it gets on my hands and all over my desk, plus I'd have to go track one down and I don't have time for that. The web version is so much easier, and cleaner. Plus they archive their articles, which comes in handy for my job.

The tax research sites are something I consider to be a huge timesaver - I don't have to hunt through pages and pages of legal books to citate a case or find a Revenue Ruling and all the cases that cited that ruling. It's saved me a ton of time, and my sanity.

I'll ocassionally hit the tip jar at blogs that I find entertaining, but I wouldn't pay a subscription for one.

Porn?

[Eaglesfan27]

I pay for Consumer reports. I also used to pay for some myfico services when I was house shopping, but probably won't renew that. I don't pay for too much else online. I haven't found a fantasy football site that is significantly enough better than the free sites to justify the analysis. However, I do pay 9.99 per year to be able to access my various Fantasy leagues on my cell phone, since I'm now traveling more during the week and don't always have computer/internet access.

Edit to add: I also pay several hundred dollars/year to access a professional psychiatry website. It gives me access to several text books that are useful, as well as most of the leading professional journals, and a few other interesting tidbits.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Porn?

There's so much free porn on the net, why pay for it?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

There's so much free porn on the net, why pay for it?

I just got my daily JPEGs, and you're in 3 of them.

THANKS, INTERNET!

[Ksyrup]

That is a huge development.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I just got my daily JPEGs, and you're in 3 of them.

THANKS, INTERNET!

Photoshopped. All of them.

[gkb]

I subscribe to Consumer Reports online and in the past I've paid for one season of Clutch Racing and one year of Allakhazam.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

Photoshopped. All of them.

yeah, to protect the identity of whoever was with you on the pics

FM

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Question for QuikSand: Is there an online version of Black Tail, and how much would you pay for it?

And that's something I don't get. Black Tail magazine offers tastefully photographed adult material aimed at the sophisticated urban consumer. White Tail, however, is a different magazine, and quite frankly, not arousing in the slightest. When will we demand accountability of our magazine purveyors? I urge everyone to write to White Tail magazine and lobby for an editorial change.

On a tangenially related note, 5 JPEGS a day? And this is acceptable? Look, when I was twelve maybe 5 JPEGS a day could suit me fine. But these days a man needs 150 pic photosets, with nubile Hungarian women on fully dressed sets. Perhaps a period costume or three, with alluring lingerie. 5 JPEGS? Christ, and two of those 5 pics are probably of underfed 19 year olds who need to wash their hair.

Oh, yeah, and, er, Consumer Reports and Baseball Prospectus are about all I subscribe to, too.

[rkmsuf]

someone post the penguin pic with her head photoshopped in.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Shkspr

5 JPEGS? Christ, and two of those 5 pics are probably of underfed 19 year olds who need to wash their hair.

...but the other 3 pics are FARRAH.