This showed up this morning. It is a discussion about how the financial blog "seekingalpha.com" was built up over the last couple of years.
I'm posting it because I think people can ignore all the references to finance and substitute whatever noun they want and still get a fairly clear idea of how something can be grown actively. Now of course there probably are lots of people out there who think that being passive can never be active. More power to them!
There is probably a discussion to be had somewhere about how the paid online model is winning out/has one out over the volunteers as the discussion about how much huffington post would be worth in an ipo kind of demonstrates.
How much would it be worth to preserve a forum for independent discussions? Should it be organized or left to whatever beneficent power watches over these things kharma and ?
"Like as the waves make towards the pibled shore,
So do our minuites hasten to their end,
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toile all forwardes do contend.
Nativity once in the main of light,
Crawls to maturity wherewith being crowned,
Crooked eclipses gainst his glory fight,
And time that gave, doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix the florish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauties brow,
Feedes on the rarities of nature's truth,
And nothing stands but for his sieth to mow,
And yet to time, in hope, my verse shall stand
Praising thy worth, dispight his cruell hand."
Shakespeare Sonnet 60.
