Self-admittedly late to the Web 2.0 party, Scott Berkun nevertheless manages to ask some really good questions, regarding social biases in the new generation of Web applications. Early adopters (can) drive the initial feature push, while latecomers bring different persepctives and desires. Inevitable friction? Similarly, can such systems tolerate high volume users and intermittent participants?
Interestingly, there's actually probably a decent body of academic and empirical work to build on, given the age and attraction of USENET, MOOs, MUDs, and MMORPGs. The question is, what are the contrasting features of Web 2.0 apps with those hoary old vets.
My guess? The Web underpinnings of Web 2.0 apps lead to much looser coupling of individuals and, on average, less frequent interactions. Net effect is you've got hordes of acquintances in a large shared environment. Maybe the correct analogy is that of a mega rock concert or festival.
Regular readers will note that the issue of social boundaries is a recurring theme here at NMH, not that I've actually done much about it. Berkun's questions were refreshing in that they didn't focus on RSS, AJAX, mashing up, or other buzzwords of the day.