2 Jan 2009

What is the value of Web's Free Labor Economy

Working for praise! This online business model has Americans happily toiling for attention on for-profit sites that don't pay them money. 

BusinessWeek.com  features an article into the recent rise of a work force who give sites like thisnext.com their time, talent, and effort; just for recognition and get paid nothing. Such a lucrative labor model has its pros and cons.  This article provides an insight into the psychology of such labor, research being done to better understand how to leverage this pattern, and how some of the sites on the inter-web are successfully cashing on this labor force.  What do you think?  Is this moral? Is this a model that we should explore and expand?  What do you feel to be the strengths and weaknesses of this model?

"Will Work for Praise: The Web's Free Labor Economy" by Stephen Baker