01 July 2002

It's probably costing you the price of a pint of Guinness.

FARCES.com -- The Grateful Dead figured this out more than 30 years ago. Encourage your fans to trade non-commercial copies of your performances and you'll create a buzz that generates you millions of dollars in copies and merchandise sold to loyal fans. But you'll still have to tour.

WIRED.com -- Kendra Mayfield observes that more and more people are turning to the Web to seek advice from amateur reviewers and self-proclaimed experts. What motivates these people to offer their opinions for free, and why do people trust them?