168 Hours, Part 3

The Rewards and Their Results

These range from natural rewards (those naturally occurring from the activity of sharing with other people) to official rewards (those given out according to prescribed policy). Many relational and emotional "bonuses" arrive from being genuinely enthusiastic about something beneficial, and from the knowledge that those benefits are transfered to others in the sharing.

However, this is not enough. As for some, creating is its own reward, so for some it is enough to share what has been created. For many, this is as much drive as they have, but some others wish to devote their lives to these pursuits. Without economic rewards, this is impossible. Therefore, these vital fans must be given an opportunity to qualify for profit-sharing in order to build a life around these pursuits—so that they may be free to increase their fervor.

The goal is to accomplish this without bankrupting the capital gained from liquidation, and without imposing unnecessary restrictions on voluntary actions. To do nothing that will kill the golden goose. Since the current network model ultimately generates revenue to the degree that their sponsors sell products, it follows that as long as the sponsors sell the same amount of products, they should be bound to pay the same for access to the network.

Therefore, the New Network Plan would be structured around marketing the network sponsors' products to those who wish to support the media as a result of its benefit to them. In other words, if you love the episode buy something you need from one of its sponsors. This allows the episodes to remain free to the public, while still providing marketing revenue.

In similar fashion to traditional network marketing, this hybrid will utilize the efforts of independent business owners, who will grow the network based first upon their enthusiasm, then upon their ability to pair media content to sponsors' products in a way that is beneficial to the audience. In this way, they act as mini-factory versions of traditional Network Affiliates, working as regional teams to gain higher and higher levels of profit-sharing for each affiliate.

By focusing the same resources into less time output, the New Network Plan will give fans more material to discuss and more free time to discuss it in, generating interest, loyalty, and viral spread. The cumulative effect of such media content will improve human understanding and relational skills both through the philosophy embodied in the media and through the earnest discussion between fans and new/prospective fans.