Fred Stutzman takes a look at the ways to monetize social networks. His list includes:
- Ads
- Product affiliation groups
- Partnership Opportunities
- Micropayments
- User payments/gatekeeping fees
- Exogenous or alternative markets
- Brokering of trust
- The negotiation of community
Brilliant commentary, and he spends a lot of time focusing on the true value of these networks and how they interplay with potential monetization. He concludes that “Social networks are difficult to monetize because they are a new and distinct form of media.”