What do you think about the tethered content business
model? To recap, this is when you can
only access content from a certain location, such as inside a store. If you wander off, the content will disappear
(hopefully with an alert first!).
When I first heard about this, I wasn’t sure where it makes
any kind of logical sense. I think it
originated as a form of digital browsing.
When you are inside a bookstore (or library), you can flip through the
books digitally just like you can physically.
But in the same way you can’t take the book outside without purchasing it (or checking it out), you can’t view it
on your e-reader outside either. An art
gallery (or museum) could do this with high-res images of its works or audio
guides that play when you are looking at something historic.
But what else makes sense?
Anything else I can think of, it makes more sense for the company or
organization to let you access the content from home. A shoe store’s inventory, a restaurant’s
menu, movie reviews, all work to bring you inside in the first place.
I suppose there are some geolocation games for which this
makes sense just because it adds a scavenger hunt feature to the
information. Games often have
counter-intuitive features because added challenge is part of what makes the
game fun.
Any other ideas?