Here's the comment: "Meanwhile, all this attention from Robert has certainly helped the valuations of Friendfeed and Twitter. How much of that value does Robert receive? Zilch." - Dave Winer

One thing I've learned is that when people pay nothing for your help they value it at $0. Ironically, if they pay you a lot of money for your advice, they really listen. That's why I'm not pouring my time into FF. I realized it was a one-way thing, and wasn't going to get any better. I did my own self-intervention. - Dave Winer

@DaveWiner - It also means you are left out of the conversation if you don't participate. - Dave Hodson

Awww. That's sweet but there's another way to look at it -- put your time where it's doing the most good. Aside from that I don't think conversation is that important. I think people totally misunderstood the Cluetrain concept of markets as conversations. But.. whatever. I feel like I'm living on time that was a gift -- so everything I get is a dividend. Happy holidays! :-) - Dave Winer

@Sinterclas too funny! - Julio F ~ @SocialJulio

I was wondering if people will start to have feedback fatigue, but look at the answers tab on linkedin, for giving a good answer your reputation increases. The question is, what's the value in that? - John Cass from twhirl

The service is free, and we make all of the data available via the API. I like to think that the relationship between FriendFeed and its users is mutually beneficial. If there's something else that we should do for people (other than improving the product, which we're working on), please let me know. - Paul Buchheit

I've made a good salary using products from other people, including those of Dave's. My current blog is hosted on wordpress.com which is a free server owned by Matt Mullenweg. - Robert Scoble

A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Scrooge sat in front of his computer, the pale light lending a sallow cast to his complexion. "A merry Christmas, Mike!" cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of his friend, Scoble. "I'm off to post on Friendfeed." "Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!" "You don't mean that, Mike, I'm sure," Scoble said. - Karim

"I do," replied Scrooge. "Friendfeed is a waste of time. You are adding valuation to something and receiving nothing in return. If I could work my will, every idiot who posts on Friendfeed would be shot like a dog in the street." - Karim

"But Friendfeed is a fun place," Scoble insisted. "It is a good place with interesting people. And therefore, Mike, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!" - Karim

"Humbug!" replied Scrooge. - Karim

please, dave, start that discussion somewhere, because in a world where everything we do, every action we take, every minute we spend, is for sale, is only with a profit-making motive, then we're all just basically whores. and what a wonderful world it will be... (or already is?) - .LAG liked that

Didn't Yahoo try that strategy with Microsoft? "$50 billion. Works well." The washer was still there, though... ;-) - Karim

Wow I just followed the top link and found myself reading Posts about Blogs vs. Comments and about Tweets vs FF Posts and I noodled back into Threads about Comments and followed further Wormholes, Rabbitholes, shiiiit. Talk about a circuitous conversation, yet -- all relevant, all entertaining. - Marko Bon

"How much of that value does Robert receive? Zilch." I believe this was better expressed by little Sally Brown at Christmas, when she told her brother Charlie, "All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share." - Karim

FF is a data flow. If you're subscribed correctly you gain from this data flow. The conversations are like annotations and sub-directories on this flow. The only way you get nothing is if you think your contribution is greater than the whole. For the literary types, think of an author without an editor. FF is the ultimate editor. - AJ Kohn

Chris, not that I ever use that phrase :-) but this might help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... - Karim

hmm....t'is an interesting discussion, on the night before christmas. from a branding point of view, if you give something away for free, there's no story to tell, no brand promise to make. it's free. take it or leave it. if you have a story that engages and moves people, you can charge a premium price. of all tech companies, it seems to me that Apple understands this best. maybe scoble should demand a cut for promoting services he likes, maybe FF,TT should start charging (for API at least). i dont know... - .LAG liked that

I don't see the user-generated content paradigm disappearing anytime soon. Friendfeed provides the elegant interface, the users provide the content, the value is in the synergy between the two. Yes, the words of big name bloggers and other personalities have potential monetary value. If they want to hold their cards close to their chest, no one is stopping them. - Laura Norvig

FF and Facebook and Twitter are training wheels for what we have to make work on the open Internet. We're creating an environment with the wrong incentives that concentrates power, and no matter how well-intentioned they are, history has shown, that doesn't turn out well. FF is nice, I've said so many times, but it is also a drug. I think Mike was joking, but he stumbled on a true and important insight. - Dave Winer

+1 Dave - Susan Beebe