Revenues from participation

[Part 2 of a brainstorm. Part 1 also available]

Dion Hinchcliffe uses the word “monetize” [sic], but the principle is the same. Compare folio the diagram in Part 1.

Hinchcliffe's Monetising Diagram

But the biggest question that comes up is that if you let your users generate most of your content and then expose it all up via an API, how can a profitable business be made from this?

His thesis is to examine methods to go far beyond advertising, subscriptions, and commissions. The bullet points below have been abbreviated for readability.

Some of the indirect ways which lead to revenue growth, user growth, and increased resistance to competition […] are:

  • Strategic Acquisition
  • Maintaining control of hard to recreate data sources.
  • Building Attention Trust
  • Turning Applications into Platforms
  • Fully Automated Online Customer Self-Service

The article is a comprehensive read, and acknowledges pro and con viewpoints for each opportunity,

While a great many startups are not generating revenue in huge quantities yet, the companies that have been diligently exploiting open APIs such as Amazon and Salesforce are in fact generating significant revenue and second order effects from opening up their platforms and being careful not to lose control. This is actually a large discussion, and as large Web 2.0 sites continue to emerge, we’ll continue to keep track of what the successful patterns and practices are.

Thus we are left with questions. Always more questions.

The one that concludes this brainstorm is:

What other implications are there by putting users in control of content generation and open everything up?

Drive participation towards revenues

How would you advise a client on the best way to drive participation in one shaded ball towards revenues from another?

Web two-dot-ohhhh engagement

I can’t see a clear path forward, as you can’t make a consumer do something; one can suggest and imply a desired action, or one can induce behaviours. You can also create desire for something seemingly unattainable.

But forcibly obliging a customerbase to perform an action? That’s performing-animal territory.

Or is that capitalist monopolism?

LOVE (The Beatles album). Crank up the home theatre.

Just grabbed a copy of this yesterday, and started listening to it today on DVD-Audio.

LOVE cover

I agree with Giles Martin’s quote:

What people will be hearing on the album is a new experience, a way of re-living the whole Beatles musical lifespan in a very condensed period. [Source: NME]

It’s faithful to memories of The Beatles, and is a respectful mashup. The work that has gone into the Dolby Digital, DTS and 96kHz 24-bit mixes is clearly evident. Why bother with the CD when you can even use the disk in a normal DVD player and rattle the windowpanes with surroundaliciousness?

Well worth a listen even if Cirque du Soleil is not your thing. Strawberry Fields is the standout for me after my first listen.

LockTight for Mac OS X Intel

Mavericks (Mac OS X 10.9) Update (23 October 2013): Recompiled for Mavericks (10.9, Build 13A603) and tested on my machine only.

http://www.gkoya.com/2013/10/23/locktight-one-more-final-update-for-mac-os-x-mavericks-10-9/

 

 

Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.x) Update (31 August 2009):Recompiled for Snow Leopard (10.6, build 10A432) and tested on my machine only.

LockTight for Intel (v0.1.1) (zip archive, 106kbyte file, HTTP download)

Sorry, there’s really no support for this. It’s just a courtesy to other Mac users. Plus, I am not a programmer…;-)

When people “Switch” to the Mac, they often look for a one-keystroke or one-key-combo screen locker.

And they’re often disappointed to find that the operating system only provides a two-click solution: add the Keychain Access menu item to the menubar, and then use “Lock Screen”.

So in came Menno Pieters, who built LockTight from Raging Menace‘s SleepTight code.

…but it doesn’t work under Mac OS X for Intel-based hardware. Until now…because I got frustrated with myself for not having done it earlier…

Presenting the Intel-compatible re-compile of LockTight.

Menno’s source code has been recompiled with XCode on an Intel based Macintosh, and contains all the original source code and licensing information as required.

LockTight for Intel (tar, bzip. 88kbyte file, HTTP download)

Nevertheless, this is being provided without any support statement and without any expressed warranty or merchantability statement. It is virus- and malicious code- free.

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