I DO think the thinness (if you want to call it that) of online relationships is reflected in things like our willingness to pay for staying connected. To be fsir, the same can be said for many offline groups that call themselves community simply because we all attend an event.

So many sites struggle with wanting maximum openness and yet the noise of more volume often undermines the very objective of community creation it was meant to create as each person just becomes yet one more in a cacophony of voices. . And yet with the right model--and that includes having a clear sense of unique value proposition--subscriptions can and do work.

Look at Match.com. People are willing to pay to find valuable personal relationships.Why does it work? They provide a PERSONALIZED way for ppl to meaningfully connect with people that they would not otherwise know and enable an offline connection. I would argue for something similar in the "conscious community" space. How are websites really engendering not just articles and content (new media) but deep and meaningful connections that have staying power and personalization? I would gladly pay a fee for a matchmaking service for conscious entrepreneurs that share my values.

Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that the word "community" is often more buzz than reality. The fact that I am one of the registered users of a website does not really make me a member of "community" but ir does provide a forum for potentially finding someone who could really be in my community.

So how can those forums take those interactions and create the deep connections and shared values that really define community? I have not seen it yet but I suspect that there is a big opportunity lurking behind there somewhere.

Thanks for sharing.

Kendall

Love this Siona. Looking forward to meeting you in RL *finally*