That's assuming one cares about "attribution" and "people following other links on your site". I.e. that's still being a salesman, maybe with extra steps.
In the alternative case, no value is being taken, you're left exactly with what you had before - nothing gained, nothing lost - but some user somewhere gains a little. Apparently even in 2026, the concept of positive-sum exchange, is unfathomable to so many.
> That's assuming one cares about "attribution" and "people following other links on your site". I.e. that's still being a salesman, maybe with extra steps.
No, it's called being part of a community.
Soup kitchens provide free food without requiring anything in return. That doesn't make it OK for you to take as much as you can get and resell it.
> In the alternative case, no value is being taken, you're left exactly with what you had before - nothing gained, nothing lost - but some user somewhere gains a little. Apparently even in 2026, the concept of positive-sum exchange, is unfathomable to so many.
It's not a positive sum exchange. The community is what is lost.
TeMPOraL|1 month ago
In the alternative case, no value is being taken, you're left exactly with what you had before - nothing gained, nothing lost - but some user somewhere gains a little. Apparently even in 2026, the concept of positive-sum exchange, is unfathomable to so many.
account42|1 month ago
No, it's called being part of a community.
Soup kitchens provide free food without requiring anything in return. That doesn't make it OK for you to take as much as you can get and resell it.
> In the alternative case, no value is being taken, you're left exactly with what you had before - nothing gained, nothing lost - but some user somewhere gains a little. Apparently even in 2026, the concept of positive-sum exchange, is unfathomable to so many.
It's not a positive sum exchange. The community is what is lost.