Being Someone Else's Bitch, Being Your Own Bitch... Or Making Others Your Bitch
from the platforms dept
We recently had a story about how the makers of iFlow Reader, an ebook reader for Apple devices, was forced to close up shop, after Apple changed the way things worked with in-app content purchases, meaning that it was impossible for iFlow to make money on Apple's platform. At the time, we pointed out how dangerous it is to rely on a single platform provider for any business, and we're still amazed that any company does that. And yet, we've seen similar things for years. Numerous companies rely entirely on one big company for pretty much everything about their business -- from Google to Facebook to Microsoft to Twitter to Apple, there are stories of all sorts of companies who pretty much could be wiped out in a single move if the larger companies changed certain terms.I'm constantly amazed at how many companies fail to recognize this, and build business models that rely entirely on a third party. This goes beyond just software companies, as well. We see it with content creators who rely on a single provider/partner as well, rather than recognize that success comes from building a sustainable model that doesn't rely on a single provider.
A few weeks ago, in response to some questions about Twitter's recent changes, which appeared to screw with developers who relied on Twitter as a platform, Twitter investor Fred Wilson told a conference audience: "Don't be a Google bitch, don't be a Facebook bitch, and don't be a Twitter bitch. Be your own bitch." Add to that a statement from a day or so later from Google's Eric Schmidt, in which he noted that if you want to be rich, you should build your own platform on which others build, rather than relying on others, and there's a bit of an important pattern to recognize here. Of course, this doesn't mean that you can't build on others' platforms -- everyone builds off of someone's platform, but the question is: who are you reliant on going forward?
Filed Under: business models, innovation, platforms
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Seriously???
How the hell do you expect to get anything done, including running this website without the hundreds of thousands of developers out there who have made themselves a "bitch" to one of the above mentioned systems in order to provide you with the tools you need to do your job.
Beyond stupid doesn't even begin to cover your statements.
Yes there are risks to being someone's bitch.
But striking out on your own to be your own bitch is risk free right?
I consider this particular post one of the piles of dung I have to wade through to find the diamonds that keep me coming back to Techdirt.
Less dung please, more diamonds.
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Re: Seriously???
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Re: Re: Seriously???
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Re: Seriously???
I believe you missed the point. I'm not saying don't build on other platforms. I'm saying don't be totally reliant on any single platform. It is possible to build systems that work on all of the platforms above. That's sensible. What doesn't make sense is to build for just one.
Sorry if that wasn't clear.
Beyond stupid doesn't even begin to cover your statements.
I believe you misunderstood what I wrote.
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Re: Seriously???
Linux is nobody’s bitch.
Free Software is nobody’s bitch.
Users and developers of Free Software are nobody’s bitches.
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Bitch all over the place....
So, give it a miss. The better kinds know they don't make a profit out of insulting women, especially their women. The rest of you might not be getting any, but for you young and uninformed types....guess what, maybe that is why you aren't getting any.
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Re: Bitch all over the place....
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Re: Bitch all over the place....
Huh?!?
1. I was quoting Fred Wilson.
2. The use of the word was not a statement on women at all, and anyone reading it knows that.
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Re: Re: Bitch all over the place....
Begin Technical
{Google | Facebook | Twitter} = Husband (H)
{Google API | Facebook API | Twitter API} = Wife (W)
{Gapps | Fapps |Tapps} = girlfriends (g[i])
(H + W) + (randomize (deprecate API function (g[i] != MaxGirlfriends]))
And on, and on, and on till the last.girlfriend is battered, scarred and penniless.
End Technical
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Re: Bitch all over the place....
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Re: Re: Bitch all over the place....
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Re: Re: Bitch all over the place....
In biker lingo it means the person who rides on the back of a motorcycle in which case is mostly women.
But seriously, I can't imagine many people are offended by the use of the term these days as it has become so common and isn't used as a gender specific reference much either.
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Re: Re: Re: Bitch all over the place....
You are one silly bitch, must be yer time of the month.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Bitch all over the place....
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Re: Re: Re: Bitch all over the place....
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Re: Bitch all over the place....
I do agree that the casual use of the word "bitch" is denigrating but at the same time the context has it in no way referring to women and no one has offered a better substitute.
I suggest do not be a "prisoner" to a platform.
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Re: Bitch all over the place
I heard "bitch" plenty of times as a prison librarian. For the first few years, everytime a man said it I envisioned a black women. Because the men I saw using it were black. And then it started being fashionable on television and just what ethnic groups were promoting it then. Well, it sure wasn't the WASPs. So, now it's all fashionable. Why would anyone start a "hate women" insult? Because they hope to elevate their own status by pushing women down?
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Re: Re: Bitch all over the place
Dogs are generally owned by people and dependent on them for food, shelter and what not.
So by being my own bitch, I should not be dependent on others, I should "own" myself. Excellent idea.
I don't see a problem here.
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Re: Re: Bitch all over the place
but when you add in the follow up you go to at least a 7.5 if not an 8/10.
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Re: Re: Bitch all over the place
every time someone says anything you are going to envision something. just because YOU do that does not mean that is what THEY meant when they said it.
you can choose to lock yourself into your own (often incorrect) interpretation and rail against the specific words that are being used and thus bring nothing to the conversation table other than the fact that you are railing against something that is not even the topic of conversation...
or,
you can realize that just becuae YOU have one interpretation, it does not mean that its the ONLY interpretation and actually bring something to the conversation besides this useless feel-good-do-nothing political correctness lecture that the average person could not care less about and immediately marginalizes any point you may have that actually IS on topic.
thank you and have a good day
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I am my employer's bitch...
Seriously though, I agree with your post. I see using these platforms to direct others to your own website instead of building your business directly into their platforms.
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My Experience - Yes, do not bet on a single platform - ever!
With all of the trouble with 1-2-3 I suggested we develop are own spreadsheet starting with a basic design using open source code that was available and incrementally improving it over time or purchasing an existing spreadsheet like Quattro from the-starting-to-lose-market-share Borland.
The product and, probably, the company would have failed if we only had developed a 1-2-3 interface and not the alternative Excel interface.
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At least working for someone else, and getting paid a pretty penny, I don't have to take the risks. on the other hand, I'm on the way to do some independent stuff so I'll be taking some risks, but no way in hell am I looking to trust Apple or anyone else not to screw with my livelyhood, IOS is an "option" not a requirement.
Hedge your damn bets folks, don't be stupid. I think Mike has been saying this for a long while.
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Let's see. Running a 3 year old version of an operating system (apache 2.2.11, which has issues), using content delivery network systems, using third party ad tools, their party public contact tools, facebook, twitter, toolbar company, and the like. It seems like everyone is someone's bitch, even this place.
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Another one misses the point
Mike (like Fred Wilson) was simply saying, don't be reliant on any one single platform or 3rd party system for your entire business. If we built our whole business around the Facebook Like button, then we'd be in serious trouble if Facebook decided to drop the Like button.
Now, you could say that we're totally reliant on the internet or electricity, and you'd be correct. But it's a pretty safe bet, for now, that neither of those things will disappear at a whim, or due to some company having financial trouble.
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Re: Another one misses the point
For inter-networking there is currently only one global /Internet/ as a standard (arguably two with IPv6 and IPv4); I argue that eliminating this would be akin to outlawing the printing press or entering a new dark age.
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Analogy
Small Biz = Big Bubba's Bitch
Platform = Prison pocket
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This is very relevant to publishers
Publishers can't get in a situation where they are relying on Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, Apple or Google to deliver their content. None of those companies are interested in preserving the publisher's business, and they will undercut it when it suits them.
The publisher needs to "be his own bitch" and create (and protect) his own relationship with his customer. Publishers should be very suspicious of third party platforms. They should use them when appropriate, but never get to the point of dependence.
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