Scarce v.s. Non-Scarce Resource
Doing business on non-scarce resource is hard, because consumers holds the power. So, how should one proceed? Keep cutting the margin against competitors? Does it sound like all entrepreneurs will spiral down to the extinction.
The Bakers
Bread is ubiquitous. If bread is the only thing sold in a bakery, all bakeries would keep lowing the price to attract more customers. But the bakers can make a non-scarce resource scarce by turning bread into pastry and cake. Think about how the wedding cake become the center of the wedding ceremony. If the Internet is bread, we, the bakers, are the entrepreneurs. And, our product such as community websites are pastry and cake.
Personality
Personality differentiates one person from another. It can be look, sound, smell, or tastes. The personality for a pastry would be its look, smell, and taste. It differentiates one pastry from another. Equip your community website with a warm and welcoming personality to attract more members.
Starbuck Business Model
Coffee is ubiquitous. But why Starbuck thrives so successfully. Get into Starbuck and look into its menu. You will see that most of the drink cost Starbuck about the same to make. But Starbuck charged them so differently. The price is not based on cost, but on the willingness to pay. The price tells how special the buyer is.
So if you are launching a community website, and you are providing a tip jar, here is the guideline you might want to adopt. Some people may not know how much they should tips the others. Why don't you put a tipping guideline. Follow Starbuck! Then, the tips should be based on how serious the problem is. For example, running nose $5, headache and congestion vanish $10.
Source: Social Network Business Model by David Silver, Chapter 3
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