My 2 Cents: Knetwit Leads to Student Drop-Outs

Knetwit: Understanding Napster from the other side � Prof Kane on Computers in Management

In response to Jerry’s Blog on “Knetwit: Understanding Napster from the other side”, I have two additional key points that I wanted to raise in class:

1) In the long-run, short cuts will not create a competitive advantage for students or workers.

I could write a white paper on this in an hour, but I will assume you know how the story goes. I would obviously take the side that students need to develop the skill to synthesize information quickly as learned through hard work instead of taking the short route. Eventually they too will learn too late that corner cutting catches up with everyone including the college kids who tend to think they are invincible.

2) Institutions that support these gorilla study tactics are inherently ethically questionable and therefore raise moral questions on the companies willing to advertise with them through association.

What kind of company would pay for advertising on this ethically questionable website? Marlboro, Exxon Valdez, or perhaps those Viagra pop-ups? In the drive to appear concerned more on a capitalistic point of view than a moral one due to my belief in free speech (and typing), I too don't expect the website to be profitable based on the non-receipt of ad revenues versus expenses to keep the website running with law suits in red hot pursuit.