Well said. The Napster comparison, like you said, isn't completely appropriate, but it's understandable... Napster's problems started with their questionable legality, but it would never have been much of an issue (I don't think) if they hadn't started to try to find a way to make a profit. Actually, I think it's possible that the fact that they DID decide to be "a business" instead of just a connective network that started the whole filesharing war, and it may be John Fanning (Shawn's asshole uncle) who we have to blame for strict DRM.
This really reminds me most of the ChickClick fiasco - because when ChickClick got better funding they were able to offer free email, free website space, etc, and when Snowball.com got their hands on the site (mind you, in this scenario Snowball is not Six Apart, they are the analogues of the people Six Apart could eventually sell LJ to) - they introduced a shopping channel, much more commercialism. The site failed, as so many sites did in 2000-2001, and everyone lost their email, their sites, the message boards, etc etc. It was just a really icky thing to see happen - your favorite site getting taken over by people who actively want to wring a lot of money from it, and then put it through a slow death when it doesn't work.
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Date: 2005-01-08 09:57 pm (UTC)The Napster comparison, like you said, isn't completely appropriate, but it's understandable... Napster's problems started with their questionable legality, but it would never have been much of an issue (I don't think) if they hadn't started to try to find a way to make a profit. Actually, I think it's possible that the fact that they DID decide to be "a business" instead of just a connective network that started the whole filesharing war, and it may be John Fanning (Shawn's asshole uncle) who we have to blame for strict DRM.
This really reminds me most of the ChickClick fiasco - because when ChickClick got better funding they were able to offer free email, free website space, etc, and when Snowball.com got their hands on the site (mind you, in this scenario Snowball is not Six Apart, they are the analogues of the people Six Apart could eventually sell LJ to) - they introduced a shopping channel, much more commercialism. The site failed, as so many sites did in 2000-2001, and everyone lost their email, their sites, the message boards, etc etc. It was just a really icky thing to see happen - your favorite site getting taken over by people who actively want to wring a lot of money from it, and then put it through a slow death when it doesn't work.