Always working to extract lessons learned while the profiling of APIs from those further along in their API journey to share with enterprises who are just getting started in their journey. apievangelist.com/2025/02/26/c... - ThreadSky

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apievangelist.com • 1 day ago

Always working to extract lessons learned while the profiling of APIs from those further along in their API journey to share with enterprises who are just getting started in their journey.
https://apievangelist.com/2025/02/26/charging-for-api-access-to-corporate-branding-images-like-mercedes-benz/

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georgereese.imaginary.com•1 day ago

Charging for API access to brand assets is so Silicon Valley.

A big no from me.

apievangelist.com•1 day ago

Why?

georgereese.imaginary.com•1 day ago

Just because you can monetize something does not mean you should. Brand assets are something you put out there to make your brand more accessible, not to stick it to your partners.

apievangelist.com•1 day ago

The story was about giving teams a safe place to practice API design and develop muscles with API plans and rate limits -- nothing prevents you from having a free tier that meets the needs of majority of partners while making things self-service. It isn't about making money off your brand assets.

apievangelist.com•1 day ago

All your digital resources should be locked down and made self-service, with access levels and value exchange metrics, reporting, and invoicing evaluated on a resources by resource level.

georgereese.imaginary.com•1 day ago

I agree with having a safe space to develop API chops.

But I don't think APIs are a thing to monetize (except people who serve data as a business, in which case it is the data you are selling not the API). You should charge for API access only when necessary because usage lies outside normal costs.

apievangelist.com•1 day ago

That is why I prefer to use the phrase value exchange. Not all APIs should be monetized, but all APIs should have the value exchange quantified, metered, and even invoiced--it is the same mechanisms.

I leave the the "monetization" decision to those doing the work.

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