I think there's also valuable side effects here. If you want to start your own community off of corporate sites, you'll have to learn a little about deploying

I think there's also valuable side effects here. If you want to start your own community off of corporate sites, you'll have to learn a little about deploying websites, webhosting, maybe a bit of PHP. Maybe you'll learn about organizing and promotion. When you're forced to make your own thing, a lot of good can come from it. This will certainly not be a mainstream approach, but I compare it to the DIY punk ethos of the 80's, specifically in the skateboarder culture. The for-profit skateparks of the 70's closed, so people had to build their own ramps, organize contests with zines, make their own music. This was all done while promoting others to build their own scene too. It ended up revitalizing skateboarding, until it became corporate again, and waned. It's a constant cycle. I think in terms of internet communities, we currently find ourselves in the "most centralized and corporate" end; but its starting to turn.