Networks often turn out to be two-sided marketplaces, in which one party pays for access to the other, trading money for attention. If you are unable to develop the matching side of the market, in the form of a network of advertisers, you are in trouble. This is why, for example, YouTube was sold to Google despite beating Google’s own video product in attracting viewers, and why Instagram and WhatsApp were sold to Facebook. It is why Twitter is still struggling. Ultimately, network businesses need to develop both sides of the market.
