free

I downloaded an audiobook from iTunes the other days and have happily been listening to hours of dialog on the concept of "free". This talk discusses when to give things away for free when not to and how it positively affects business when giving something away for free is done well.

Right now, I'd like to give away some of the laptop debug headaches I've been having at my full time job, lol, but I digress...

Have you given anything worthwhile away for free lately? There are times where I have exchanged services for my web work or offered a discount to a non-profit organization. I recall designing a site layout for free b/c it was a good cause.

Here's the question of the day: Does giving a service away for free lower its inherent value? In the midst of this recession, the housing market is clearly echoing "your home is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it". Is the value of design work rapidly declining as well?

I'm still assessing how the "power of free" can be used in my business- if it will be used at all. Still, this is a very interesting listen~