In the latest issue of THE HUB magazine, Bradley Kay has an interesting article called "Micro-Communities" (.pdf here).

The article is written from the perspective of a marketer, and for a marketing audience. In the article, Kay suggests that the giants of social networking could learn a few things from master hotelier Ian Schrager.

Using Schrager's hotel Delano in West Palm Beach, Kay says:

If the Delano has taught us anything over the last 10 years, it’s that less is more and to maintain exclusivity you must first create demand through desire and intrigue.

He says that the large social networking players (MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) should stop serving anyone tha wanders in the door and should

be considering new ways to close or limit access and create specialized content for “micro-communities.”

Kay goes on to suggest that Micro-Communities offer marketers:

the ability to drive sales through targeted offers; conduct inexpensive R&D by allowing users access to online prototypes of products, packaging or marketing materials; and provide invaluable information about the nuances of specific audiences and how to communicate with them most effectively.

I thought Kay's article was thought provoking, but it left me with a feeling a little uncomfortable. If marketers are allowed to "exploit these platforms", as Kay puts it, will the community experience suffer to the point of losing all value?

What do you think? Can marketers participate in a niche community in a meaningful way?