patterns 95 free as a business Model VP CR CH CS KP KA KR R$ C$ With the right product or service and high traffi c, the platform becomes interesting to advertisers, which in turn allows charging fees to subsidize free products and services. Main costs relate to developing and maintaining the platform; traffi c- generation and retention costs may also arise. Free products or services generate high platform traffi c and increase attractiveness to advertisers. bmgen_final.indd 95 6/15/10 5:37 PM