This session by Mike Ellis from Eduserv. Know’s nothing about libraries and archives, but worked in Museums. Slides will be on http://www.slideshare.net/dmje

Mike going to try to get through lots of slides… (this is going to be a challenge then!)

Mike starts with 3 thoughts:

• What value and free mean in a web world
• how the network has changed us
• what to do about it

What does ‘value’ mean?

In this particular context value equates to scarcity – the more scarce something is, the more valuable it is – although we need to consider context (diamonds not valuable when you are dying from thirst)

‘Theory of Marginal Utility’ – any particular unit becomes worth less as the availability increases

Scarcity is OK until content arrives on the web when you get:

1. radically less cost for distribution – e.g. newspapers, music
2. nearly ubiquitous piracy opportunities – so easy it becomes invisible (even to those doing it) – The scarcity model starts to fail – issue becomes one of usability rather than scarcity.
3. Users with hugely different expectations. move away from ‘ownership’ to define ourselves – more about emotional attachment (see piece by Martin Weller). ‘Users’ are changing – lazy, fickle, mobile, search-focused and expecting free

These 3 things are relatively well understood but very radical.

What should we do?

1. recognise that this isn’t just a ‘blip’ – this is not going away. Many old business models and practices simply don’t work any more – and will never work again. Others may work, but will need to change to fit into the new world.

2. notice that ‘value’ hasn’t disappeared, but just shifted somewhere else. Examples of Paulo Coelho and Lady Gaga – both saying they are happy to see people using their content for free – Paulo Coelho was essentially about marketing leading to increased sales. For Lady Gaga touring is where the money is [my comment – not sure that this reflects the experience of most musicians? – perhaps there just isn’t money in being an artist?]

For example – Chegg.com – textbook rentals via the web

3. things that can’t be copied are things that get value

Things like trust, authenticity, immediacy is where value lies. e.g. you can give away software but sell support/expertise

4. your content is like a teenager

If your content is on the web, it is out of your control. The only thing you can do is trust that it will return in the morning 🙂

5. If you can’t re-use it, you’ve wasted it

Possible to increase value by enabling re-use – it costs you to produce this data, so why not get best value. And once it is on the web, people will scrape it – you just make this more difficult

6. this is about content and user experience – not about technology

HE institutions are simply not close to being user-centric enough

7. the future is uncertain – open stuff helps with uncertainty. We can focus on content not on how it is held or building restrictive distribution systems

8. it doesn’t really matter how you do it (make data open)

Do what you can – dont’ worry about how – as long as done in loosely copuple way

9. recognise it is about eyeballs

The web is only one mechanism for access – 75% of traffic to twitter is via API – this means people are accessing through a huge variety of ways – widgets, iPhone apps, clients etc.

“Losers wish for scarcity. Winners leverage scale” – Ian Rogers