CHris (Flazoom) points to my blogging about the Flash community and need for support from the money-makers. Some interesting comments there too.
We are in dire need of some sugar daddies in the Flash community, that much is for sure.
Phillip Torone and John Dowdell are among the people that has joined in on the discussion of how Macromedia (and others) can support the Flash community sites.. Join in on the discussion if you have a suggestion to how the Flash community sites can start making some money, and who can help and how.
Phillip mentions that he is moving towards a pay model for his site. And he aren’t alone in contemplating starting to charge for his work. The question is if people in the community will be willing to pay. Phillip mentions that he has gotten reactions when charging for his work, and he is not alone in that area. When Branden Hall wanted a few bucks for a component he made (which would save most people for many hours of work) he got a lot of flack. But I suppose that some people just have to be ready to adjust to start paying for what they get.
The Flash community is very lucky to thrive in a very open source atmosphere. Other communities just do not share the way we share our code and our creativity. As a result, I think that many in the Flash community do look harshly on anyone who might try to take a profit from Flash. Even Macromedia has been hit with this, as both our access logs show.
The same crowd that fuels all the ‘crack’ searches are the same ones who overflow the transfer limits of the Flash community sites. Although these folks have helped to make Flash incredibly successful, they are also straining on the efforts of both Macromedia and the Flash community sites.
Something needs to be done, I am just not sure what.