Communities Web 2.0

There is a rush to create properties on the web targeting communities. The successful buy outs of Myspace and Youtube reflects the bullishness and optimism of the larger players. Even Microsoft has gone and record to say that their new MP3 player ZUNE will have the certain features of sharing files across communities which currently Ipod doesnt posses. In my opinion the power of connecting to another user or the early seeds of the benefits of online communities was displayed by now defunct P2P sharing website Napster. Universities and Internet service providers actually blocked the Napster as it was clogging their network. I am not sure of the statistics but it was awesome - I have had a first hand experience had nearly downloaded 1 GB. As part of the evolution of communities in the days of Napster - the user did not care who he or she was connecting to till the song/file was available as a download. In the current scenario its more of bonding , finding the long lost friend , creating a virtual world around yourself. Its very difficult to predict the emerging trend. Increasing users are wanting to log out of different community networks as it is invading the privacy, abuse of photographs, malicious scraps ...oops anyway its a scrap etc. Where are we headed .... It will be an interesting space to watch with so much money being bet on how the online communities will behave ..... Google as usual is stealing a march over its rivals. Though yahoo was an early starter but some how seems to loose that edge.