By running a service - a lot of software today isn't valuable because of the product, but because of the service it provides. Facebook, Twitter or Drobox software is not particularly difficult to clone - many companies built clones. What sets the popular sites apart from clones is the service they provide (community, reach, availability, easy access). I guess that's one of the failures of G+ - the software was there, but the service wasn't.<p>Our code is in the open[1], and anyone could install it and run it, but there is a convenient web site[2] out there that lets people get the service easily without bothering with an install. We make money from subscription fees for higher capacity.<p>[1] - <a href="http://github.com/mindmup" rel="nofollow">http://github.com/mindmup</a><p>[2] - <a href="http://www.mindmup.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.mindmup.com</a>