Value for value needs to incorporate (optional) vanity/status based features to go mainstream. In a way that already happened but we can do much better.
1. Data that's not taken from the past 15-20 years of high internet adoption doesn't matter too much
2. Ads vs. V4V doesn't need to be contrasted sharply: if I showcase the top zappers or make up some other leaderboard of zaps, is that advertising? Yes, to some degree but not totally.
3. What we really have established is that attention is valuable. 'What *kind* of attention?' - is a better question to ask. The flip side of this from v4v perspective is that donating without getting attention and acknowledgement back doesn't work very well
4. So what Adam Curry says about "You just need to ask often" is not enough, you need to do shoutouts, leaderboards, publish summaries, and generally do everything you can to make donors feel special and raise their status. No way around that if you want to take this seriously.
5. Yes, it is hard to do the core thing and this other promo thing too, but that's the way it is. The internet allows more publishing so creators need to stand out by being unique in their craft and also make that obvious, and get creative not merely in the product itself but how it is received. That's not unfair, that is competition
6. Are software developers the same kind of creators as musicians, podcasters, or long-form authors? Don't think so, and there are different nuances people can try to make this work.
The big picture in my book is that this topic is not settled by far. We just need to get more creative.
1. Data that's not taken from the past 15-20 years of high internet adoption doesn't matter too much
2. Ads vs. V4V doesn't need to be contrasted sharply: if I showcase the top zappers or make up some other leaderboard of zaps, is that advertising? Yes, to some degree but not totally.
3. What we really have established is that attention is valuable. 'What *kind* of attention?' - is a better question to ask. The flip side of this from v4v perspective is that donating without getting attention and acknowledgement back doesn't work very well
4. So what Adam Curry says about "You just need to ask often" is not enough, you need to do shoutouts, leaderboards, publish summaries, and generally do everything you can to make donors feel special and raise their status. No way around that if you want to take this seriously.
5. Yes, it is hard to do the core thing and this other promo thing too, but that's the way it is. The internet allows more publishing so creators need to stand out by being unique in their craft and also make that obvious, and get creative not merely in the product itself but how it is received. That's not unfair, that is competition
6. Are software developers the same kind of creators as musicians, podcasters, or long-form authors? Don't think so, and there are different nuances people can try to make this work.
The big picture in my book is that this topic is not settled by far. We just need to get more creative.