The thing about rented land

We used to worry a lot about rented land.

Customers who were on Facebook and not our email lists.

Websites powered by proprietary tools rather than open source ones.

Hey, I get it, I can spin up free open source sites and self-host email marketing platforms on cloud droplets too.

The thing is, this shouldn’t really be a consideration anymore.

People go where they want to go. Our decision should be whether or not we want to show up with them, not whether or not we want to judge the venue.

People recognise their friends wherever they go. Our decision to be a friend (as a brand or as a person) when we show up is what keeps the relationship alive, not the venue.

Decentralised futures don’t let you own everything anyway. People should have the choice where and how they interact with others. That means the power may move away from big tech, but it doesn’t move back to you.

Don’t worry about your brand being built on rented land.

Worry about your brand being something people will miss when its gone.