What Classmates and Rhapsody Share

When I was in college a friend told me about a website called classmates.com. It was incredible that you could find people that you went to school with, reconnect, trade emails, plan reunions, and so forth. The only problem was that it cost money - that to which I did not have.

It was great until another friend a few years ago told me about mySpace / Facebook - a new kind of social network that didn't cost anything. I feel bad for classmates but it isn't hard now to see their shortsidedness.

Tonight I saw that Verizon commercial that is promoting Rhapsody which is an online database for streaming music. Right now Rhapsody has a great thing going with unlimited choices for your listening pleasure but there is one problem. You can't get it for under $10. With new websites like Pandora, Songza, LaLa, and so forth that don't charge you are becoming the standard.

Rhapsody better provide free services and let advertisers pick up the bill if they want to make it into 2010.