Corporate Invasion

Will the entrepeneur be pushed out by ads and corporations?

"We could have never built this without the community. That is what we're fiercely protecting."

"The wild west feel is already slipping away"

Copywrite issues will ruin it. Individuals will get sued not the company.

Juggling the wants and needs of the user community with rapid growth will remain an ongoing dance.

"It's kind of that whole don't-forget-where-you-came-from thing."

No, this isn't about SL. These are excerpts from an article about Google's $1.65 billion purchase of YouTube written by Jake Coyle (AP Entertainment Writer) and as seen in the Chicago Tribune on October 11, 2006.

On a much larger scale than SL, YouTube (my new favorite topic!) drew a worldwide audience of 72.1 million in August, according to the article. However, the grass roots fanaticism of the early adopters has a parallel in the SL community. These are the common concerns of people who watch their little hidden niche get noticed, adopted and mutated for mass consumption.

Once the bailiwick of amateurs, YouTube has reached agreements with CBS Corp., Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, NBC Universal and Warner Music Group Corp. Users and curious onlookers are well aware that the amateurs made YouTube what it is. Those very amateurs are worried that the community and its freedom will be obliterated. Or perhaps, they see the loss of their 15 minutes to slick, professional juggernauts.

Either way, YouTube is hurtling toward its future in the realm of entertainment mega-forces. This doesn't mean the base community need be swallowed up in its wake. There will always be outlets for the amateurs. When one door closes, etc etc blah blah.