Digital Design Blog

Futures of Entertainment 2: Pay Your Users Or They Will Go Away!?

Inspired by the Futures of Entertainment 2 talk: Fan Labor.
Panelists: Mark Deuze, Jordan Greenhall, Catherine Tosenberger, Elizabeth Osder, and Raph Koster

Many people think we shouldn’t pay fans - that the exchange of money turns us all into horrible sell-outs. Money destroys the freedom-embracing communal love the Internet so successfully engenders. It’s like Starbucks setting up shop at Burning Man. It’s time to close the Playa - the party’s over . . .

But is that true? Do you really believe the moment we handed over $5 to the Daily Kos in the form of our click-thrus and eyeballs we turned Markos Moulitsas Zúniga into a man drunk on his own power? Do you think the millions who upload to YouTube, Flickr, or any of a zillion websites do so just out of compulsion, with no thought of a reward?

Markos is a different person, probably, than he was before - better connected and possibly better funded. And, arguable, just better. A better journalist, with better questions and better access to the people who might be able to answer them. Would any of that have happened if he didn’t get paid?

As for the countless uploaders around the web - do they create just for the sake of it? Of course not, they do it to get paid, too, even when that payment’s not in cash. They get paid with appreciation, validation, respect, fame, self-satisfaction, enjoyment, or even - much like the Daily Kos - future job opportunities. They get some reward for their time and effort - and if they don’t, they stop coming back.

So, what’s the lesson? Pay your users. It could be in money, if that’s what motivates them. Or it could be with hilarious or informative content to fuel their insightful comments, some “expert” badges for great answers, or even some inside info for all their time spent on your site. Whatever you do - show them the love and they’ll show it to you.