Ben Brooks:

The fragility of free is a catchy term that describes what happens when the free money runs out. Or — perhaps more accurately — when the investors/founders/venture capitalists run out of cash, or patience, or both. Because at some point Twitter and all other companies have to make the move from ‘charity’ to ‘business’ — or, put another way, they have to make the move from spending tons of money to making slightly more money than they spend.

Great piece on why it is always worth paying for the applications and services that you use every day. I am currently working on a long-form piece on this very same topic, but from a different angle.

I also like to pay for the software and services that I use, but honestly I had never thought about it in terms of protecting their long-term existence. To me it was always about supporting the hard work of the developers and the countless hours they put into making the apps. I have huge respect for their work because I know how difficult it is to make a truly great app.

Via shawnblanc.net.