Always love to get your comments – and shocked that you read the New Yorker (and travel to far off lands like Chicago). I’d say link to the Audible.com free offer if you want to know what’s going on with free today – especially when it comes to information. The Audible version of Chris’ book is unabridged, read by the author and engaging, persuasive and leading edge.

Let’s see – Brian Clark loses because we don’t trust him? Read Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae – where he tells about Copyblogger’s success. What we learn these days is to avoid the bogus offers of the long page larrys of the world and look for the good stuff that’s free, like Mr. Clark’s.

Small world, I was in Chicago last week and had the pleasure to read a review of Free in The New Yorker – sure, I read it for the cartoons but every now and then I dip into the articles. Haven’t read the book but Malcolm Gladwell wrote a fascinating review exposing the soft underbelly behind Chris Anderson’s hypothesis.

One of the interesting flaws that Gladwell points out is that to deliver Free can actually cost quite a bit of money. Anderson’s poster child for Free, YouTube, spends about $360 million for bandwidth and another $260 million dollars for licensing costs for the professionally produced content they make available. Gladwell quotes Credit Suisse who estimate that YouTube will lose over $ 1/2 billion this year and says, ” If it were a bank, it would be eligible for TARP funds.”

Before you by the book or for a counterpoint, be sure to read the whole review for … wait for it … free at http://cli.gs/DWDX45.

I think Free is a great idea. That’s why Costco is a cheap date on Sunday afternoon. Savor that free pizza roll sample and, who knows, you may just end up buying a whole carton. The problem with free is that it reduces information and knowledge to a commodity and didn’t we cede our manufacturing to China because we were going to become the information economy?

By the way, you’re wrong about putting an end to the long page Larry’s of the internet; they’ll thrive because they understand the power of price. At the end of the day I’ll always be suspicious of free because I was taught – as were you – that you get what you pay for and, in that light, free ain’t no bargain.

Don’t you suppose that’s why so many people want the money up front? Likely because it’s not worth it in the first place. Don’t feel alone, though, most people simply aren’t there yet. Believe me, though, there will come a time when you will never again shell out for just the pitch. The world has changed – the pitches will fade and the pitchmen will waste away.

A colleague told me something once that I liked…if someone wants your help…give them a taste of what you have for “free” – one session on the phone, a free trial of your product, a bit of advice in writing…then charge for your services. If they find the free portion valuable…they will pay you for more. But the “more” you have better be worth the price…