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At the beginning of this week I asked the question: is free content devaluing membership?  While there's no denying that free is a hard number to compete with, associations do provide value in the way they provide their content.  Just look at iTunes: Napster, and the myriad of clones that followed, threatened to upend the music industry.  Who would pay money for music when a free download was just a click away?  As it turns out, iTunes was the answer the…

In yesterdays post, it was mentioned that associations need to undergo a "change of paradigm" in order to be seen as valuable in a market flooded with more and more free content. At one point in time it was a given that association membership brought value; today, that assumption is no longer true. Every good association and business knows that they need to have a fundamental understanding of their own numbers: how much does it cost to acquire a new…

Is the world of "free" content devaluing membership? There's no question that the information landscape is a vast place. And with tools such as Google, finding the information you need is just a few keystrokes away. And the best part? Most of it doesn't cost a dime. Educational resources, such as the Kahn Academy, offers an almost overwhelming number of online classes at no cost to the user. And Youtube tutorials feel like they come by the bushel. This isn't…