To remain healthy - media based communities need to remain in the same type of "people soil" in which they grew.Bottom up tribes cannot be assimilated by top down organisations. One kills the other. Like soap in the bubble bath. The psychology is wrong.
Xfm, Delicious, EMI, Last.fm's, Myspace's, OD2 - the list is without end....
So what does this mean for Zappos? Will it grow, or decay?
The reason we loved Zappos was because it was perceived to be "owned" by the community. It genuinely seemed to gave a shit about its customers. With this key differentiator now lost - it now feels like its part of the ordinary, the mundane, the pedestrian, the mainstream.
Can any asset like this survive outside the community from which it was borne? I'm not sure....
