In the age before the Internet, the exact same thing happened to music subcultures - hippies, punks, ravers etc started out as small groups of pioneers, consciously trying to do something new. Over time those scenes became flooded with posers and wannabes, most of whom had no idea that what they were doing was counter to the original principles. The original pioneers moved on to something new.
The same lifecycle seems to be a property of online communities, except at a much faster rate. The phenomenon even has a name (Eternal September), named for Usenet's annual flooding with college freshmen who did not understand the rules or culture of the community. Eventually the irregular floods became a torrent as Usenet opened up (via AOL and Google Groups), and the community died.
Are online communities destined to have a limited lifecycle, either stagnating or collapsing under the weight of their own popularity? What can (or should) be done to maximize valuable conversations?
The same lifecycle seems to be a property of online communities, except at a much faster rate. The phenomenon even has a name (Eternal September), named for Usenet's annual flooding with college freshmen who did not understand the rules or culture of the community. Eventually the irregular floods became a torrent as Usenet opened up (via AOL and Google Groups), and the community died.
Are online communities destined to have a limited lifecycle, either stagnating or collapsing under the weight of their own popularity? What can (or should) be done to maximize valuable conversations?