I think democratization is a better word than gentrification. In gentrification, something bad is turned into something good, in the process displacing those who made it good. In democratization, something scarce and luxurious is devalued by its increasing popularity. Niche Communities (like HN) <i>despise</i> the unwashed masses and recoil when their community is invaded.
Good points. Regarding HN, I think the basic concept of submitting links by community members works. What HN needs to fight is mainstreamisation and spamming. So far, HN fares satisfactory.<p>What remains to be seen is, if the relatively high quality of front page can be maintained for the long time by using technology and algorithms alone, and if not, what kind of editorial control would be suitable.<p>p.s: Why every article about community tech sites have to bash slashdot? Slashdot is alive and well, outliving both reddit and digg.
BTW -- DZone, which is mentioned in the article, is awesome.<p>Great little startup out of North Carolina. Terrific material -- topical, technical, and relevant. (No -- not a paid endorsement, just I like the site)<p>You guys should check it out.