Hobbs - 10:42 am on Sep 16, 2006 (gmt 0)

I just don't think it's going to replace everything else

Don't underestimate a vertical than can go horizantal

People like you EFV have identified where to go for each service a long time ago, but there are millions joining the web community everyday, and new loyalties and attachments are forged every second.

The key is in the traffic critical mass, which you can divert later on to new verticals, no matter what the original site does.

e.g. AOL, an ISP, and it's content network
Google, a search engine, and it's eCommerce checkout and Google News..
Yahoo, a search engine, doing everything else
What's to prevent MySpace from pulling another eBay
...

If you have the brand and traffic, the horizantal possibilities are limitless, even very narrow verticals like WebMasterWorld, old geezers like us might stick to their guns, new fresh members are more open to possibilities.