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Agree that making the data open is something that it makes sense for savvy users to ask for. Do you think it would make sense from PencilAndPaper's business perspective, though? Regardless of open vs proprietary, there will be some users willing to contribute, so the data can probably be collected either way. If the data is open, there's an opportunity cost of a significant competitive advantage.

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>>If the data is open, there's an opportunity cost of a significant competitive advantage

I think I get what you are saying, but if you could elaborate on what you mean by this, it would also be helpful!

:)

Well, as I see it... suppose you can collect the data regardless of whether you consider it open or proprietary. Under the "open" model, you get the advantage of (at least from some perspectives) doing the right thing by the community. The downside for you is that emerging competitors can take your data as a starting point rather than needing to go through the effort of building their own data. If you choose to keep the data proprietary, it could be one of your competitive advantages.

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