What does the word free mean to you?

United States
August 29, 2007 9:40am CST
It may sound stupid since everyone knows what the word free means-it costs me nothing. All these ads for programs that throw around the word free do actually cost you something. Whether it is just your time reading an ad or email, clicking on an ad, filling out a form or signing up for multiple offers you are spending time and/or giving up information. What is the cutoff point for you? At what point is free not really free even if you are not spending any money?
2 responses
@oyenkai (4394)
• Philippines
16 Apr 09
I think free means exactly as you stated it - it costs me nothing in order to achieve it. But I interpret that statement as it costs me nothing in terms of money - costing me time is another matter since I don't really know how much someone's time costs. If it's time that would rather be wasted, then wouldn't that cost nothing too? Thanks for the response on my discussion!
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
29 Aug 07
hello there. I think that Free means not having to pay a single cent. Nowadays, many sites on the internet claim to be free. Some are but most are not. Usually, the sign ups are free. But after the sign up, they will usually throw in 'special offer' for you to grab. The 'special offer' will usually promise low cost and more/better benefits than if you were to remain as a free member. Do think through carefully before you pay, most of the time, the extra benefits are not worth the money.