Community networks go through distinct phases of evolution and each phase is marked with distinct opportunities and challenges.
Nobody knows the precise formula for successfully developing and sustaining community networks.
There are, however, several guidelines that should prove helpful. The first is that the community-network organization must itself be a community. A community is needed at the core of the effort. When the project itself is a community it is more likely that a shared vision will exist and that people will work together cooperatively. Since many people on the project are volunteers, a paycheck is not an issue.