Monetizing “Open”
Due to announcements by MySpace, Facebook and Google (not to mention Yahoo’s continual push for open standards) there have been a lot of 
talk about DataPortability and the importance of being “open” in the modern web economy. While I am very excited about what all of this openness means for consumers, I am skeptical about the business models of the companies that are making these moves.
In order for any one of these web properties to monetize user data, there will need to be some type of control over the data. The catch 22 is that the brand that exerts more control over data will be the brand that is least likely to get consumers to spend more time with them.
I have some ideas about ways to monetize in an open environment, but one of the reasons that I write this blog is to learn from all of you. I would love to hear some thoughts on how these major web brands will be able to successfully monetize their properties (and not lose consumers) in an open web.
Tags: google, yahoo, myspace, facebook, open, dataportability
May 27, 2008
That seems to be the 64,000 question. The way this is headed, and maybe I’m missing something, but it is the indiviudal who will get the most benefit from monetization. So if I recommend a product to a friend, i will get paid a commission. For a business who is hosting the technology is going to make their money from advertising or subscriptions. Hosting service, ad space and content are the variables that are not free.