For this individual assignment, you are asked to choose a platform that employs or has employed a freemium business model and analyze its strategy in a paper that does not exceed 1,500 words. Please do not choose any of the online storage companies (i.e. Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Box or Microsoft SkyDrive) for your assignment, as we are discussing those in an in-class case. By October 7, please send me an email with the name of the company you have selected. For the essay, you are asked to address the following questions:

1. How does the underlying technology enable a free version of the product?

2. What are the advantages and the costs of offering a free version of the product?

3. What is the impact of offering a free version of the product on the firms competitors?

4. Could the platform offering the product earn more by not offering a free version of the product? Explain the assumptions (e.g. economic & behavioral assumptions for consumers) supporting your analysis and provide information and evidence to justify those assumptions.