[AstralStorm]

Sounds like your typical Microsoft (Embrace, Extend, Extinguish by having majority) and Facebook approach. Neither novel nor easy to pull off.

Of course an opponent with stronger budget and marketing doing the same thing reaaonably well will extinguish or coopt you network. Or buy you off (which might be the desired game plan).

Users then end up paying for suddenly disappearing or closed of network.

[sharemywin]

Mostly because the end network isn't large enough to attract enough capital to get it over the critical mass.