To summarize, and to help myself understand:

• This about openness in the domain of communication platforms
• A platform has a community, and operates on a technology
• Some people say a platform is “open” if anyone can join the community and have a positive experience, even if they have little or no control over the technology
  • for example: Salesforce (I dunno, it’s an example the article gives), maybe MetaFilter?
• Other people say a platform is “open” if anyone can set up their own instance of the technology and tinker with it, even if that means they require special skills to have a positive experience in the community.
  • for example: IRC, Mastodon
• Some platforms have neither form of openness
  • for example: Twitter
• However, it’s probably impossible to have both forms of openness, since something has to filter the signal from the noise of the howling void, and if it’s neither the technology nor the community, what’s left?

Homework exercise: Does Lobsters have either form of openness? Should it?