The Embrace

Distressingly ironic that the travails of Blipfoto have coincided with the oncoming spring.

I've gone from feeling militantly optimistic in a 'there must be something we can do' frame of mind to a 'oh so that's what was going on' sense of scepticism. 

Blipfoto wanted to become a global social media platform and I wonder if that was really ever compatible with the kind of supportive community it helped to develop under the rubric of 'Being Excellent'.  At some point were not the wheels going to come off the carriage as that idealism clashed with the growing representation of investors on the Board who were not probably in it for philanthropic reasons?

I've written some notes in a blog entry on my website about what might be a growing gap between the community of users and the structure of the company. That's left me feeling bruised and  a little used (possibly).

I'm not saying I'm right but even if a buyer is found it makes me more wary or vigilant.

How do you bridge the gap between the aspirations of the Blipfoto user community and the aspirations of a private company owned by investors who want to see a return, and possibly a big one, on their capital?