BUTLER, BRIAN S., and ELISABETH JOYCE. "AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ONLINE COMMUNITIES." Academy of Management Proceedings. Vol. 2006. No. 1. Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management, 2006.

This paper introduces and validates a model of community success that considers both internal characteristics and external competition from other communities sharing content or members. By analyzing a longitudinal sample of 100 Usenet newsgroups over 57 months, the study finds that both internal factors and external context significantly influence a community's ability to retain members.