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In general in technology, if you own a platform that's valuable, you can monetize it.

You can't throw money at the Internet to make it work - it really is all about the quality of the content.

We realized the best way to monetize content was through a subscription model.

At the end of the day, we still make the things that we make. And we found that the best strategy in this very fluid marketplace is to not be tied into any given platform, but to be able to make good content, and good content will be able to live anywhere.

Open access is good, but we have to have ways and means where content that has been generated with a lot of effort and cost also gets the chance to monetise itself as is now beginning to happen in the West where some publications are really beginning to make their Internet revenue lines and subscription revenue lines quite significant.

The growing demand for content across our platform delivers bigger payouts to our contributor base and encourages them to upload fresh content to Shutterstock, further facilitating the network effect of our business.

Given the trendlines of digital publishing, where more and more large platforms are profiting from, and controlling, the works of individuals, I can't stress enough: Put your taproot in the independent web. Use the platforms for free distribution (they're using you for free content, after all). And make sure you link back to your own domain.

We're very focused on making News Feed really good, making our photos experience really good, making messaging really good, and creating great location apps. That's the nature of a platform business of our scale. Most companies that are relevant to us will have some overlaps in some competitive way.

You really can create a lot of value by putting content and distribution together, particularly if the content is cable content.

Like most successful businesses, you and your employees have a vast knowledge base and expertise in your vertical, as well as a lot of great video and text content to prove it. So, why not monetize your expertise and create digital products and membership courses?