Free stuff (products, shipping, content) dominated much of the virtual landscape
during the Web's commercial boom. Today, with less VC money to pass along to consumers,
many businesses are rethinking the strategy of offering free services supported
by advertising revenue.
Although free offers are, by definition, without monetary cost, there are often
non-monetary costs to be considered. Personal information is often the non-monetary currency of choice, and consumers must weigh the value of free offers against the cost of sharing personal information.
