In some ways, I think what I am trying to do with communick is very similar. I am just being very careful to avoid the things that (IMHO) killed them.
they wanted to charge $99/year for access. From everyone. That is completely unrealistic. My basic access costs $10/year, and it can cost even less if you join as a group.
they went the YC route. Got money, and with it the responsibility to grow at all costs. I just want to build something that can be sustainable and that can give me the resources to keep working on interesting open source projects.