"Give it away for Free" as a business model

One of the hot topics around today is the concept of starting a business by giving something away for free... from Facebook through to Twitter and countless free software and services, the standard question people ask every day is "How can they do it?" While the article below doesn't give answers, it outlines some of the issues and the comments bring out in greater detail the central arguments.

Techdirt: 'Give It Away And Pray' Isn't A Business Model... But It Doesn't Mean That 'Free' Doesn't Work