By running a service - a lot of software today isn't valuable because of the product, but because of the service it provides. Facebook, Twitter or Drobox software is not particularly difficult to clone - many companies built clones. What sets the popular sites apart from clones is the service they provide (community, reach, availability, easy access). I guess that's one of the failures of G+ - the software was there, but the service wasn't.
Our code is in the open[1], and anyone could install it and run it, but there is a convenient web site[2] out there that lets people get the service easily without bothering with an install. We make money from subscription fees for higher capacity.
By running a service - a lot of software today isn't valuable because of the product, but because of the service it provides. Facebook, Twitter or Drobox software is not particularly difficult to clone - many companies built clones. What sets the popular sites apart from clones is the service they provide (community, reach, availability, easy access). I guess that's one of the failures of G+ - the software was there, but the service wasn't.
Our code is in the open[1], and anyone could install it and run it, but there is a convenient web site[2] out there that lets people get the service easily without bothering with an install. We make money from subscription fees for higher capacity.
[1] - http://github.com/mindmup
[2] - http://www.mindmup.com