If information is extremely exclusive, then one can charge a lot for it; if information is extremely broadly available, then there’s power — and ultimately value in economic terms — in that, too. It seems to me that perhaps what’s “less valuable” is the information in the middle zone, where it’s neither exclusive nor extremely broadly read. The Net is a trap for the unwary in this regard. If you keep things close and don’t use the Net for dissemination, you might lose access to some potential readers. If you are aiming for broad circulation and you come up short, then you end up with something of little value.

a very insightful analysis. i was never much a fan of proprietary information (it prolongs the wait for the singularity), and have been working to make it easier to spread information cheaply, reliably and targeted. a page rank of 6 is probably the lower bound for being noticed..
reminds me of the growth trap for companies: midrange companies have lower profits than both small and large companies. don’t be average.

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