The Freebie Conundrum..
mrsparky
Posts: 248
Freebies. We all love them, most of us couldn't do without them. They save us a fortune. These items are there when we can't afford content or make certain things ourselves.
Most content creators have started out by making them and use these as showcase pieces, often as a way of attracting other artists to the creators work or products. In return some artists show support by purchasing products or recommending freebie creators to others. Others leech and hoard.
But just as these virtual holy grails have such an important cultural standing in the poserverse, they can also bring disharmony. Not just the debates about commercial/non commercial. Or the open appreciation or vitriolic hostile attacks on creators that appear in equal measure.
Equally because of the nature of how they are made and delivered. Online and virtual, freebies can be seen as something we have an automatic right to. Plus being free there can be a perception as they cost nothing to make, they have no inherent value.
Thats always been the way. it's the symbiotic relationship. it's how it is.
Wow betide any one that wants or dares to change that.
Though lately being a freebie creator has put me in a bit of a quandary. To make nice freebies takes time which has a "cost". For some big companies thats obviously become an un-affordable cost. Now only those who directly buys gets the goodies. Which on a business level I can totally understand. Equally I'd can see how they'd like to reward their loyal customers.
Personally I like making freebies, I like seeing how everyone uses them so creatively. I don't have any problem in giving stuff away. Nor do I automatically expect anyone to buy stuff/recommend me etc etc. These are gifts. It's simple.
While I'd rather not 'charge', equally I know a store can't exist by giving everything anyway. Especially now most artist's spending is incredibly limited and even if they want to support a creator they can't afford to. So my "solution" is make general freebies and extra ones for "supporters". Doesn't have to monetary either, it could be simple as a recommendation. But I'm still undecided if this approach is the right one or not. So any thoughts?
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Comments
I think it is an acceptable approach. But won't it make you work twice as much?
(Disclaimer: I've asked mrsparky to be one of the sponsors of the May freebie challenge over in the Freepozitory, and he's accepted. So I'm not unbiased here.)
While there are some people who equate "free" with "no worth," there are also some people who understand not everything of value has a financial value. Some folks make free items in order to feel the satisfaction of a job well done, or to gain the respect of their peers, or to return favours that they've received from the community, or as samples of the quality of work they do in their commercial models. It's a shame that our culture doesn't give much respect to non-monetary value.
The trouble is, it costs somebody money to distribute these free items. ShareCG uses a mixed subscription and advertisement model to recoup their costs. Renderosity uses the freebies they host as advertising for their store. DAZ3D has moved to a system of giving away bonus items with purchases. All of these approaches are driven by the same thing: they need money to keep the giveaway process going. (I know I'm repeating myself. This is an important point.)
So don't worry about how we'll see your system - you've picked one that, in my opinion at least, is a good one. You're making some free items to attract people to your commercial items and other items as bonus items. I think that's an intelligent way to approach the matter.
(As for "leech and hoard," the transient nature of websites has taught us to do that. I'm glad I leeched the Bryce material from free.daz3d.com when I still could but didn't yet have Bryce, and I'm sorry that I didn't grab some items from Zincster's site when it still existed.)
There always will be givers and takers. I have found that there are a tremendous number of people in the online arts community who are givers. These people give in many ways: by sharing knowledge, writing free tutorials, etc. All of these take time. I personally get thank you e-mails often for my tutorials and I have spent a lot of time researching problems others might have. For me, the thank you is the reward.
I try to thank those who make freebies, but I am often remiss. I will download something and put off saying thank you and then forget. I think we all do that.
My 2 cents, if you have a store that has to remain open, you sell what you can for a price you decide on and adjust based on what you need to do to keep sales coming in. After that you do freebies as you see fit. i don't buy into the gifts for supporters only deal, it smacks of favoritism and takes away from the whole point of making a freebie in the first place IMO.
i share quite a bit in the communities i develop for. Not as much for this one since I don't want the support headache of where/how to install things, but i have given out a few models. My freebies usually come from something I needed for a project and was happy with the results and found it useful or I just had an idea, made something and felt like sharing which is the main reason why you should do a freebie in the first place IMO..
That being said though, i don't d/l many freebies. I rarely look at sharecg or other freebie sites unless I am looking for something specific I don't have the time or inclination to model myself. My runtimes are probably 95% payware addons, mostly because i do lots of commercial work.
Bottom line, take care of any financial obligations and then model what you want and share it, or don't, plain and simple.
I read all the way down this page and there's no freebie on offer?? WTF!!!!
Just kidding!
Sparky, I like your idea of keeping some freebies in reserve to reward people. What has always amazed me most in 3D art consumption is the volume of freebies that are downloaded into people's runtimes and never appear again, anywhere. I think your system might encourage some to get rendering and get their images out in the world so others can see them.
Then, if you get a message from them saying, "Check out what I did" or even "Hey, thanks", you might want to send them an extra.
You could look at freebies as a "loss leader". Giving away stuff not only brings people to your site, but it also creates goodwill. There is a hard-to-measure but genuine monetary value in having people think "Oh, Mr Sparky's a nice guy, I should buy something from him."
I know that my decision to buy from certain stores has definitely been influenced by a history of good freebies. To take just two examples, you and Adam Thwaites are both vendors who I am happy to buy from, not only because you make neat stuff at more-than-reasonable prices, but because you've been consistently generous in giving away quality freebies.
Ultimately, you need to figure out how much time you want to spend making freebies and how much on commercial products. You might also want to ask yourself whether a given item should be a freebie or just priced so low that it taps into people's tendency to make impulse purchases. ('priced so low' may be tricky to compute, given that your commercial products are already all but given away, and there may be issues like per-transaction fees to take into account: still, you'd know where the price breaks are).
I think if you do continue to offer freebies, you should think about how to make them work for you. Adam T., for example, is canny enough to arrange things so that when you go to download a freebie, you also see plenty of ads for his commercial products. Each freebie offers him a chance at an actual sale, which seems both eminently fair and sound business sense.
Another option is the "first fix is free" approach; you can offer a freebie that's part of a larger set as a way to encourage people to consider buying the larger set. Or give away a base model to promote sales of an expansion pack.
I'd never want to discourage anyone from giving away things for free, but given that we all have to eat, I think there are ways that you could use your freebies to help drive commercial sales as well.
I know this doesn't actually add anything of value to the discussion, just an observation that the title of this thread sounds like a lost Sherlock Holmes story. :)
That is also something that is not ideal, given the new rules regarding Non DAZ 3D Commercial advertising.
Just saying :coolsmirk:
Elementary, my dear tjohn. The good Squire Sparky doesn't want to live at 221B Beggar Street!
MrSparky,
i personally think you're one of the Poserverse's little known secret, and to me, thats a shame. I think you offer some of the best products for the price in which you charge for your goods, let alone the ones you GIVE away. I would love to see you advertise more. I would love to receive updates when new items, pa's, promotions, etc. are added to your store; Commercial or Free! I know a number of people do not visit the Daz3D forums and marketplace as much as before due to a number of changes here, and this may be directly effecting your sales. I don't recall seeing you advertise anywhere else.
So, if i were you, it would be as simple as some sort of e-mail registration and email alerts when ANYTHING is going on at your site or any of the places where you are brokering your goods.
And yes, Im a huge fan and Supporter (but i think you already know that).
Just my .02 cents! Good Luck buddy!
-MJ
Thanks for the kind words and good debate!
Kattey - Nope I was thinking only do a few extra ones occasionally.
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robkelk - Daz's recent decision was one reason why I wanted to explore doing something like this.
That choice didn't appear to be very popular. Indeed main reason why I didn't want to follow that trend.
BTW - thats not a critique here, I can see why being a big business they have to make decisions like that.
I'm also very mindful that being online plays a big part as well, free exchange has always a big part of internet culture as has peer review. So my rationale has always been to engage with the people who use my work. Obviously it's impossible to keep everyone happy, but I do aim to try for a majority consensus on things.
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batesyboy - Yea I can also understand, given the virtual nature of 3d work and sites, why we do that.
Indeed 1 milisecond and a site can be gone for ever.
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FSMCDesigns - excellent point there about "it smacks of favoritism and takes away from the whole point of making a freebie in the first place IMO.". That was one the negative feelings about taking this kinda approach. So I guess it sorta becomes a quasi-product, and then yes it shouldn't be called a freebie at all.
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Dorseyland - Like I said at rendo, I think it's human nature to grab and hoard when it's free.
Though again thats another reason for exploring these idea, so maybe things wouldn't be just filed away but used.
Not just my stuff but other peoples as well.
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angusm - yea freebies are often the main attractors to a site. Though one reason for pondering these ideas was because if the big boys can't afford to give things away anymore, how long can the little ones?
Personally I hate things like google adwords and banners, I think they make a site look a tatty racing car!
So I've alway tried to avoid using them on the websites I design for people.
But would you folks being more willing to tolerate advertising, Adams T's approach or the banners at shareCG if it meant that you could still get freebies ? Could you accept something like that as a unwanted evil if it came to it?
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tjohn - more like Dick Barton or Biggles :)
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chohole - yea and thats why I didn't include links in my recent posts.
Also why I nearly didn't post this here as I wasn't sure if this kinda debate would be allowed or not.
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MJ007 - thanks chap.
Yea you're right generally I don't advertise anywhere else, usually because it's so darn tricky these days.
Fair enough I can see sites like rendo and here are privately run businesses and they need to keep their site 'sticky'.
But sometimes, and no offence to anyone, sometimes I feel anyone who sells has to walk on eggshells at the big poser sites.
Everything seems to move so fast and I'm never quite sure whats what. Indeed thats one reason why I don't post much here now in case my comments are seen as commercial, when often they ain't.
...I love your useful and oft whimsical freebies. I also love the sets and props you sell.
Alas as I do not use PayPal, I can only purchase items that are brokered through a vendor in the States like Renderosity, and VP due to international restrictions governing debit card purchases. Even so, the prices are still very affordable considering the detail and features.
Here's a scene I did a while back Featuring The Ruined City which I found to be a very fun set to work with.
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http://kyotokid.deviantart.com/art/Ooopsie-315173246?q=gallery:kyotokid/38266284&qo=14
I have a lot of appreciation of those who create good freebies, and as a customer if I download freebies I really like from a certain merchant or vendor I will often come back later and buy something from them as a result.
When I first started out making renders with DAZ and Poser, I relied on freebies to let me explore the world of digital 3d rendering and decide whether or not to stay. If it wasn't for all the excellent free content available then, I would never have become a 3d artist, a customer for content brokers, or a vendor.
From a customer perspective, I don't mind looking at a few ads in order to get quality free content - I like the idea that it allows my favorite sites to offer that content.
As a merchant, I try to make the occasional freebie. There are lots of reasons to do so; to show appreciation to my customers, to complement my existing products, or to help people who are where I used to be when I started in this arena. Sometimes I make a freebie just because I wanted something but I wasn't ready to package it together as a full product, and I figure that others might want something similar.
I'm with angusm on the part of showcasing commercial products with your freebies. Sorry, chohole, but I don't think mentioning this is harmful to DAZ3D in any way.
About banners; one reason it's "tacky" is that people give little thought of placement, how to "frame" add's, and the adds themselves aren't that great and interesting. There's done a lot of serious research about adds and how they affect people. Everything from colors, shapes, placements etc. have been done many times over. So, with some background research, you can have adds that are not annoying ('in-your-face-annoying'). Just take a look at DAZ' newsletters; they're quirky and distinctively funny. Not to imply that you should copy DAZ, but it doesn't hurt to look at their newsletters with a new appreciation and see if you can learn from them.
Here are something not to do, btw:
http://now.msn.com/bad-ad-placement-funny-photos-show-awkward-ad-choices
kyotokid...thanks chap. I recall your image and you had problems with US debit cards.
Did you ever try using a prepay debit to get around that?
Thats what I've been using to order stuff via ebay so my p/pal account is always kept safe.
fuseling = thats pretty much the same way I feel & also started in 3d. and as have have many others. Plus I also appreciate those who make stuff as well.
Though I feel things have changed a lot lately, sadly sometimes not always for the good, hence why I think it's important to debate stuff like this. So thanks for the input here.
Norse... as said above with you there about ads. I also wonder as most browsers now come with anti-ad software built in, plugins like noscript and adblock, if stuff like banners are even viable now. Plus I think that we've developed a form of 'ad-blindness' as well.
So if anything a simple advert in the style of the site, like adam T does, or using text could be some possible ideas. Though of course this assumes a site decided to run ads, personally I'd rather not as I agree it can be tacky.
You have to find what works for you in terms of cost and benefits.
I don't have the time and energy to do as many freebies now as I did when this was a hobby (and everything I did was free), but I think they have value for these reasons:
1. Promotional for me personally. If someone really likes the quality of my freebies, often they will buy one or more of my products. It's a good way to ensure someone finds you who might not have known you existed before.
2. Promotional for our medium. There's a lot of turnover and lately a lot of new blood, which benefits all of us one way or another. People new to this as a hobby or a secondary professional tool don't want to spend much. The more good freebies there are for them to work with, the more likely they are to achieve results they like, and then to move on to buying content to get results that are even better.
3. More free communication. People who know me from my response to their freebie comments or my assistance with installing or using them are more comfortable with me as a person. The more willing they are to communicate with me, the more I can learn from them, and make a better product as a result. Yes, there are some newbie HOW DO I SHOT WEB conversations, and some WHY ISN'T THIS MORE PORNY or I'M ANGRY THAT YOU USE A DIFFERENT PROGRAM, but it's worth it for the ones that are really educational and helpful.
It's a good idea to have a deviantart page too for many of these reasons, and it also gives you a great medium for communicating with customers, potential customers, and other artists (I hope we'll have DAZ galleries for this soon, too).
Well I;ve reached a conclusion
The idea of rewarding supporters with unique freebie items just isn't very popular. You folks like your freebies to be freebies, no unreasonable restrictions, no BS. So I've decided thats how it'll be from now on. Mine will be free range freebies :)
Talking of which, the model that was going to be the 1st reward is now totally free. Details of which are here as before...
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewreply/316260/
For what it's worth I like freebies. But I will only download freebies with clear usage terms and the ability to use commercially.
Although I haven't sold anything I just don't want to have to remember restrictions when I create something. It is easier just to skip complicated terms of use.
Oh, I agree with you on that side of things.
Thats why my original freebies have simple fair terms.
The only time I ever have a no commercial restriction is with "fan arts" models.
But thats just commonsense for any artist who makes those sorta things.
The artist doesn't own that idea, so how they assign it to others? Plus the general "unwritten rule" with fan arts is simple. By creating fan arts/fan fic we're giving the studios free publicity. As long as the fan or creator doesn't make profit, or bring the concept into disrepute the studios don't bite. Which is fair enough.
Though sometimes I can see why artists do have to include extra terms. Like 1 3d artist doesn't allow card models, because in his day job unscrupulous people have copied his plastic models and created card ones. Which directly and adversely impacts his business.
Other times it's a tad greyer. Like redistribution clauses. I'm well aware that some folks will try passing off model as their own. Which when I started was a problem, so included that licence clause.
I don't object to anyone distributing. Instead I think it makes sense to know where things are. Plus it protects them as well. Like I'm more than happy to kill off sharing sites, and will do when I see one sharing friends or my stuff. But if I know that model is there, I'll know the site is OK.