"problem of network effect"
if you accept the premises that:
a) the diaspora's of the world are the solution (or at least a step in the right direction)
b) the problem is that of a network effect (translation: the cold start problem)
... then one solution is for a well known, highly trafficked brand, that has nothing to lose, to implement "a".
... a.k.a....
what if someone like yahoo which still has vast reach, but is not a player in social, took something like diaspora and promoted heavily. That would solve the cold start problem.
Diaspora has all sorts of problems.
With the SSL certificate thing, there's Convergence, which basically solves the whole lot at a stroke. See http://convergence.io/ and the guy's Blackhat talk at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Wl2FW2TcA