As you mentioned relating to games, user preferences are quite
different. For some, the model of paying 10¢/hour or 10¢/visit
would be a great way to allow them the access to pages that they use.
For me, and I'm guessing for many others, there would be a problem with
this system. What I find most compelling about the internet is its
accessibility to the whole world. I'm not someone who has found a niche
that I focus on every day, all day long. My visits to webpages are all
over the place. I wouldn't be surprised if my "10¢ visits" added up
to $1.50 to $2.00 a day. This might even be a gross underestimation
for the way I use the web. Other people who utilize the variety of the
internet like I do might make more "10¢ visits" per day than I do.
The question then becomes whether users like myself would be willing to
pay $45 to $60 per month (or more) to maintain the way they use the
internet. Obviously, this added cost would only apply to those of us
who find the web compelling and useful when it includes visits to a
myriad of sites each day. I would think that one of the largest
demographic groups where this type of surfing would be found would be
those who are retired or housebound. This group is precisely the group
who could least afford to pay for this style of surfing.
I probably would be in the minority of that group of us who finds it
enjoyable to travel to many places daily on the internet. This is
because I have the time to do the things on the net I want to do not
because I'm housebound or retired, but because the choices I've made
allow me more free time. I could afford to go to a 10¢ a visit
format, but I'm afraid those who can ill afford additional expenses will
be shut out. I can imagine users who are so isolated from the world due
to circumstance that find great joy and a sense of participation through
the internet who would be limited by the cost.
The 10¢ format I think would work well for most people because from my
experience most people are happy primarily doing one or two things on
the net. For however small the minority is that find it enjoyable to do
lots of different things on the net, this system could cost
substantially more than their ISP fees.
As you mentioned relating to games, user preferences are quite
different. For some, the model of paying 10¢/hour or 10¢/visit
would be a great way to allow them the access to pages that they use.
For me, and I'm guessing for many others, there would be a problem with
this system. What I find most compelling about the internet is its
accessibility to the whole world. I'm not someone who has found a niche
that I focus on every day, all day long. My visits to webpages are all
over the place. I wouldn't be surprised if my "10¢ visits" added up
to $1.50 to $2.00 a day. This might even be a gross underestimation
for the way I use the web. Other people who utilize the variety of the
internet like I do might make more "10¢ visits" per day than I do.