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They own the data. It is their ball and they can basically say "I'm taking my ball and going home". Facebook, twitter, linkedin, google. All of them are in the
by fingerprinter 16y ago
They own the data. It is their ball and they can basically say "I'm taking my ball and going home".
Facebook, twitter, linkedin, google. All of them are in the data business and sell that data to make a profit. They don't really care about the devs as they just see the devs as a way to bring people to their ecosystem; the more small apps people write, the more ways they might be able to get data. But, if they get big enough, and all of them have, they can cut you out.
I understand building a business around someone else's data (cottage industry), and I would never say not to do it, but it isn't without peril. Though, I would do it in a heartbeat for a lifestyle business that I knew I could pivot on or build another if it failed.
- philwelch 16y agoThey own the data. It is their ball and they can basically say "I'm taking my ball and going home". Maybe, but that would make them assholes, especially from the perspective of the user. I'm trying to use an app to post my tweets to Facebook, and Twitter is shutting the app down because, as the reasoning goes, my tweets really belong to them? You might say "that's what you get for using someone else's service", but by that logic I should just have my own server in the living room because otherwise Posterous would own all my blog posts and Hacker News would own all my comments.
- hibrian 16y agoRead the terms of service for the sites. Who owns the data and when are they allowed to turn off? Answer: you "own" it but they can do whatever they want with your content, and they can turn off the service any time. Boot up that server in your livingroom if you want your content to live on. Posterous : however, by submitting material to Posterous you grant Posterous the irrevocable, fully transferable rights to use, reproduce, distribute, modify, transmit, prepare derivative works of, display and produce the material in connection with Posterous and Posterous's business, but solely in accordance with these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. Posterous is provided 'as-is' with no warranty of any kind. You use the service at your own risk. Posterous expressly disclaims any warranty, express or implied, regarding the site or its content, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. http://posterous.com/tos http://posterous.com/tos
- philwelch 16y agoI know what the terms of service say, and I certainly know the terms of service allow Twitter to be assholes about this particular issue. They're still assholes, though, and they're assholes because they're getting in the way of their own users.