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Let me see if I have this right, using an example we all know: 1. Build Twitter 2. Gain critical mass[1] 3. Place APIs behind Bitcoin transaction[2] 4. Actu

Let me see if I have this right, using an example we all know: 1. Build Twitter 2. Gain critical mass[1] 3. Place APIs behind Bitcoin transaction[2] 4. Actually have a revenue model and be (maybe one day) profitable, without ever having to sell your users to advertisers? 5. Let others build whatever they like atop your platform without ever being bothered about it threatening your core business? What have I missed? Edit: formatting & footnotes --- [1]: or don't wait, and start that way so it's not a surprise to people later [2]: perhaps swap(2,3)

hueving 11y ago
Charging for API usage isn't as profitable as selling your users to advertisers. Otherwise twitter would already be living just off of selling the firehose.
- deftnerd 11y ago
  Problem is that when you sell your users to advertisers, it's reducing the value of your service in the users mind. I value websites with heavy advertising to be less attractive to me and less valuable. As more users get turned off, the websites will be able to get less money from advertisers. It can become a snowball effect that kills a service.
  - bduerst 11y ago
    Most engineers and software developers don't click on ads or use advertising mediums [1]. Other user segments are less bothered by them. https://medium.com/@robleathern/people-in-silicon-valley-don-t-click-on-ads-9d2eed1c74af#.ioqcv0e60 https://medium.com/@robleathern/people-in-silicon-valley-don...
- bobwaycott 11y ago
  Maybe not as profitable, but that seems to be a tangential issue. Just trying to understand what's being proposed here.
- aavotins 11y ago
  First version of Twitter's API had no authentication, it was as free and open as it can get, so it got integrated everywhere. Everyone without technical knowledge could copy and paste a snippet into their WP powered blog or website, deploy it and enjoy the functionality. I think that was one of the primary driving forces behind Twitter's growth. Putting an API behind a paywall basically eliminates the majority of Average Joe's

hueving 11y ago

Charging for API usage isn't as profitable as selling your users to advertisers. Otherwise twitter would already be living just off of selling the firehose.

deftnerd 11y ago
Problem is that when you sell your users to advertisers, it's reducing the value of your service in the users mind. I value websites with heavy advertising to be less attractive to me and less valuable. As more users get turned off, the websites will be able to get less money from advertisers. It can become a snowball effect that kills a service.
- bduerst 11y ago
  Most engineers and software developers don't click on ads or use advertising mediums [1]. Other user segments are less bothered by them. https://medium.com/@robleathern/people-in-silicon-valley-don-t-click-on-ads-9d2eed1c74af#.ioqcv0e60 https://medium.com/@robleathern/people-in-silicon-valley-don...
bobwaycott 11y ago
Maybe not as profitable, but that seems to be a tangential issue. Just trying to understand what's being proposed here.
aavotins 11y ago
First version of Twitter's API had no authentication, it was as free and open as it can get, so it got integrated everywhere. Everyone without technical knowledge could copy and paste a snippet into their WP powered blog or website, deploy it and enjoy the functionality. I think that was one of the primary driving forces behind Twitter's growth. Putting an API behind a paywall basically eliminates the majority of Average Joe's