Who wants to pay for content?

Blogging, as we know it, is a means by which we are able to broadcast opinions/random thoughts/even the fact that we have things for sale, to a very large and varied audience, through the Internet, for free (not counting the cost of Internet access of course).

In blogging, a lot of people merely post their random thoughts/opinions without exerting that much effort in organizing such thoughts in a manner that would enable their readers to better understand what they were trying to convey.

But some people do present excellent material and do take time to organize their thoughts and do exert a significant amount of effort in making sure that what they post are reliable statements supported by research.

Some people propose that to aid these creative minds, we should abandon the notion of free content and make it “affordable” instead, in order to give everyone a chance to become a widely read author and get paid for being so.

They suggest that a subscription fee should be charge for such content.

But do those bloggers who are passionate and diligent in providing worthwhile, maybe even revolutionary, material really need monetary incentives to disseminate their ideas?

It won’t stop with subscription fees. When content needs to be paid for, intellectual property rights issues will start to crop up, such as whether a “rebroadcast” of paid for content should be allowed or whether or not the “ideas” presented in such blog posts should be made copyrightable? Because everyone will be intent of ensuring that they make money.

Not only that, as it matures into an industry, regulations/rules/standards may be provided for to govern all aspects of blogging perhaps even for the content itself.

The Internet was designed primarily to provide an avenue for the free flow of ideas. It was designed to enable very different people, from very diverse backgrounds/geographical locations, to be able to exchange views/ideas/information, perhaps for the good of all.
Should we allow even the hint of a hindrance to the free flow of ideas?

So, anyone want to pay for content?