Evolution of platforms
Platforms are free until they aren’t.
Until they have a big enough reach.
Until they are so big that people are willing to pay for that reach.
This isn’t new.
It happened over and over again in the past.
And it will happen over and over again in the future.
Once a newspaper has a big enough reach they can charge for ads.
The bigger the reach, the more they can charge.
Just like TV channels charge for ads.
The bigger the reach, the more they can charge.
And the exact same thing happened with Facebook.
Or Twitter.
Or Pinterest.
And most recently also Medium.
Or any other platform out there.
Once a platform is big enough you have to pay for reach.
Once a platform is so big that there’s just way too much stuff on it, algorithms change what people see and you have to pay to reach your readers, your viewers, your listeners or what not.
In one way or the other.
And if you can’t pay, then the people who can pay will reach your readers, your listeners, your viewers or what not.
And this will happen to every platform.
There’s no such thing as unlimited free reach.
After all, all platforms that provide reach are businesses.
That’s how they were able to build up that reach in the first place.
By hiring some of the best people out there to make it one of the best platforms out there.
So at one point every platform will change their algorithm.
So that less people will see your stuff.
It’s not a matter of whether or not.
It’s just a matter of when.
So you can either complain about it or get ready for it.
By building your own platform as soon as you can.
So how do you build your own platform?
Some people say email.
I say great!
But I also say that Gmail now owns something like 90% of people’s inboxes.
And Google is known for constantly changing their algorithms.
Just like they’re now randomly putting newsletters that people signed up for in the promotional/spam folder.
So how will you then be able to build your own platform in the future?
I don’t know.
But what about real interactions with real human beings?
That’s always been a winner…
Originally published at yanngirard.typepad.com.
