Good Experience Blog: Kevin Kelly’s must-read article on what’s “better than free”

Kevin Kelly’s must-read article on what’s “better than free”From there Kevin goes on to list eight “generatives,” or features, that he argues are “better than free.” These are the building blocks of new products and services and they’re worth studying, sharing, memorizing, drilling your team on:

• immediacy (getting the bits now)
• personalization (bits tailored to your own preferences)
• interpretation (for-pay services that operate on the free bits)
• authenticity (any hint of “realness” in the virtual world)
• accessibility (getting to the bits on any device, not just your home computer)
• embodiment (higher-resolution bits)
• patronage (feel-good process of supporting the bits’ creators)
• findability (the new version of distribution: drawing users’ attention)

I’d add one other feature, simplicity, which allows users to engage the bits with a minimum of user interface annoyances interfering with the experience.

— via Good Experience Blog

Great ideas on how to cultivate reputation. They apply to personal and product marketing, on and offline.