Internet impacts and support for new business models

"Internet impacts and support for new business models 
Social networking has provided new models of business. Companies may discuss the big data possibilities of over 1 billion people on Facebook, but social networking has evolved into more than just a place of befriending. Crowdsourcing sites like Airbnb, Skillshare and TaskRabbit, and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Lending Club, are all examples of the power of a networked social infrastructure. A new economy of sharing has fuelled an old approach to selling your skills, renting a room in your home, lending money, and performing tasks for other people.

Research one of Kickstarter.com, Skillshare.com, or Airbnb.ca and answer the following questions:

1. What is the purpose of the site? How successful is the site (in terms of subscribers, jobs, funding, and so on)?

2. Is there a common thread among all three sites that accounts for their success today, as opposed to 10 years ago?"