Should monetization be an afterthought ?
sjs382: If it's a "startup", then no: monetization should not be an afterthought.
If it's just a project (even if its a very involved project) that you'll benefit from in other ways, then maybe.Right now, I'm (barely) working on a (project|potential startup) that I know that me and a few friends will have a ton of use for.  I have a few ideas re: how to monetize it, but it's less of a concern for me right now.  Right now, I'm just building a killer project for less than 100 people to use.  If other people find it useful, awesome. If they don't, my goals will be reached with the project anyways.