Clay Shirky writes about power laws and weblogs. He explains why unequal distributions of links always appear when there is diversity of content, freedom of choice and shared preferences. Some blogs (web sites, articles, stories, whatever...) will become more popular, more linked than others. As the number of participants grows, so the inequality grows.
Talking about the transformation from blogging to broadcast, he says:
"...as a blogger's audience grows large, more people read her work than she can possibly read, she can't link to everyone who wants her attention, and she can't answer all her incoming mail or follow up to the comments on her site. The result of these pressures is that she becomes a broadcast outlet, distributing material without participating in conversations about it."
In the context of KM/community projects, this movement from conversation to publication is particularly interesting. As it grows, a community of practice tends to break down because you can't sustain inclusive conversations between a large number of participants. The community may fragment (smaller groups can keep talking), it may privilege certain members (a sub-group dominates the conversation), or it may dry up as a community and become a passive audience to broadcast information.
As Shirky discusses, this is a network effect not a failing of the community members. We can try to influence it but we cannot fight or deny it altogether. At some point, a growing community will meet its limit and must transform itself. With foresight, we can manage this transition, accommodating broadcasts while keep conversation alive among sub-communities.
2:45:33 AM 
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