I'm reminded of the trouble that LiveJournal has had balancing the interests of its users and investors. They have millions of users, but many of those users post on topics that are, ahem, not what mainstream deep-pocketed advertisers want their names next to, and the users get very cranky when the LJ administration acts against their interests.
The "digital sharecroppers" may not be working for money, but they are expecting something less tangible in return for their efforts, and the things they want are not always compatible with the site owners making money.
The "digital sharecroppers" may not be working for money, but they are expecting something less tangible in return for their efforts, and the things they want are not always compatible with the site owners making money.