Helping Fund Innovation Content

One of the ways you can fund innovation thinking is by paying for content. But some of the old advertising or subscription models are struggling as more and more content is being released to the world. That is one of the reasons I am on the Future Shaper's platform for my innovation content. They are working on some creative approaches to helping fund good innovation content. 

Here is how it works:

1. You set up your account on www.thefutureshapers.com
2. You visit an article that requires payment.
3. It will prompt you to put money in your online wallet
4. Then you can use some of that money to pay for the article. 
5. You then can read the article and have it accessible in your account for later.
6. If you don't like the article, you can request a refund of a portion of the cost; which would go back into your online wallet. 
7. If you are done buying articles on The Future Shapers, you can close your wallet and receive the funds (minus any fees) back. (You can read a bit more here.)

So are you ready to try it? Here is your first chance. I have written a free article on using data visualization to make innovation decisions called "The Indispensable Tools for Every Innovator." Take a minute to check it out and get a sense for where I'm going. Now I am writing a more in-depth article on each of the subsections of the first article that you need to pay for in order to read. The first one of these is called "Insight that Comes from What Isn't." 

Here is what I would like to challenge you to do. Read the first article for free and see if you like the direction I'm headed. If you see it as valuable, then set up your online wallet at The Future Shapers and purchase the second article. I will be releasing several more to go along with the first article over the coming months. 

Then please reach out to me with your experience. I would love to know what you think of the model and how it works for you. The goal in this model is to find creative ways to support innovation thought leaders and make it easy for customers to have more control over the content they buy. I would love to hear your thoughts on whether you feel this approach accomplishes those goals.