Comments on: Building a Better Mousetrap…or Not http://www.markevanstech.com/2008/07/03/building-a-better-mousetrapor-not/ Thoughts on Startups, Entrepreneurs and the Web Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:25:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mark Evans http://www.markevanstech.com/2008/07/03/building-a-better-mousetrapor-not/comment-page-1/#comment-75317 Mark Evans Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:13:51 +0000 http://www.markevanstech.com/?p=3571#comment-75317 Evan, Thanks for dropping by and providing some more insight into what you're doing. It will be interesting to see how indenti.ca does as more people get into micro-blogging. Evan,

Thanks for dropping by and providing some more insight into what you’re doing. It will be interesting to see how indenti.ca does as more people get into micro-blogging.

]]> By: Evan Prodromou http://www.markevanstech.com/2008/07/03/building-a-better-mousetrapor-not/comment-page-1/#comment-75316 Evan Prodromou Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:07:59 +0000 http://www.markevanstech.com/?p=3571#comment-75316 So, I think the key value of building an open source tool is shifting value to another part of the market. By making a piece of software that anyone can install, we're deflating the value of microblogging software in and of itself. Where does that value move? To the service itself -- providing hosting for corporate or organization microblogs, guarantees of service for "identicati" who have thousands of followers, or styling a domain name or layout for a particular brand impression. Can it work? Definitely. People pay for Wordpress.com, LiveJournal.com, and other hosted services that, given the skills and the server space, they could host on their own. The Free Software drains the market for software and focuses on the service itself. So, why go into a market with an established leader? Because it's obviously a good market! And whoever goes in with the Open Source software leadership is going to garner the goodwill of that market. So, I think the key value of building an open source tool is shifting value to another part of the market. By making a piece of software that anyone can install, we’re deflating the value of microblogging software in and of itself. Where does that value move? To the service itself — providing hosting for corporate or organization microblogs, guarantees of service for “identicati” who have thousands of followers, or styling a domain name or layout for a particular brand impression.

Can it work? Definitely. People pay for WordPress.com, LiveJournal.com, and other hosted services that, given the skills and the server space, they could host on their own. The Free Software drains the market for software and focuses on the service itself.

So, why go into a market with an established leader? Because it’s obviously a good market! And whoever goes in with the Open Source software leadership is going to garner the goodwill of that market.

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