

Ask HN: How do I monetise my site, and should I open source it? - marcosscriven

I've recently created FabFabbers.com, and looking for suggestions from fellow hackers on how to monetise it. Two of the features I added (syncing from GitHub, and OpenSCAD in the browser) seem to be popular with the hard core 3D community, but I'm wondering which way to go in terms of making it a viable business. 
Another question I have is that quite a few people have asked me to open source the site - which I'd like to do, but again, not entirely sure the best way to do it without giving away everything. It seems two models for open source are big companies that make money on service, or small companies/individuals for whom the code is a portfolio of their skills.
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retroafroman
Monetizing ideas:

-Advertising (pitch 3D printing, CAD software, or training companies?)

-Affiliate links to related products-same as above. Does shapeways or ponoko have a affiliate program? Perhaps you can add a link that says "Get a physical version" that sends the model off to a printer, and you get a cut

-Freemium. Perhaps offer 10 models stored to free users, paid users get more?

TinkerCAD got bought by Autodesk, so there's always possibility of getting
acquired/aquihired.

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marcosscriven
Thanks for the suggestions retro'

