What If Social Networks Just Arent Profitable?
powazek.com/posts/3024
From the page
Saved with the link. Notes from 2007 to 2016 are mostly the page's own words, so this is probably an excerpt.
See it? The bigger you go, the harder the road. Meanwhile, small, focused, and yes, exclusionary community sites flourish. Matt Haughey made several key decisions in the formation of MetaFilter, but the most important one was to limit growth. Hell, for years you couldnt get an account if you wanted one. After that, they started costing money. When it costs money at the door, that means you dont have to sell out your members to advertisers. It also means the community stays small, which surprise! also leads to healthier communities.