Los Angeles – A new study from the Center for Digital Future
at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism found that 49% of
respondents have used free micro-blog sites like Twitter — but 0% of those
polled said they would pay to use Twitter. "Such an extreme finding that
produced a zero response underscores the difficulty of getting Internet users
to pay for anything that they already receive for free," said Jeffrey
Cole, the center’s director.
"Twitter has no plans to charge its users,
but this result illustrates, beyond any doubt, the tremendous problem of
transforming free users into paying users," added Cole.
"Online
providers face major challenges to get customers to pay for services they now
receive for free."
The survey of 1,981 Internet users also found that half
"never" click on Web advertising, with 70% saying they find it
"annoying."
However, 55% said they would rather see Web advertising
than pay for content.
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/232jgnh
(PDF of study)
