If Maemo and related devices are successful then it's inevitable (and actualy cool) that all kinds of sites start popping around. Some of them pushed by pure fans, some of them by pure business, some of them with a mixture of both. Some of them generic, some of them specialized in certain topic, language or region.

Nokia does not feed nor stop this proliferation. We have two obvious entry points: maemo.nokia.com for users and Forum Nokia for developers.

Then there is maemo.org, a community driven site devoted to community collaboration. Nokia is involved as well in maemo.org, as community members. maemo.org is the place where a user can join one day and end up 2 years later receiving a prototype for development or review before sales start, getting an invitation as Maemo community speaker at Nokia World or interviewing a Nokia VP on stage in the main room of the Maemo Summit. Plus 1001 other ways of learning, contributing, make maemo products better and make the Maemo community a better place to be.

The obvious entry points of maemo.org are Downloads, Talk and News. I believe Brainstorm can be the 4th leg of this platform of engagement. The lower and simpler access they provide to regular maemo users, the better to everybody.

There are ways to do this and at the same time keep happy (or even make happier) the core community contributors e.g. extras-testing/devel, a potential MaemoDevel tag in (micro)blogs and news, a deeper concentration in the Maemo 5 OS and Development subforums, a deeper involvement brainstorming solutions beyond voting... long etc.

As long as maemo.org keeps being "the interesting place", other Maemo related sites will keep referring to it in their work. Following everything is difficult already now for someone working full time in Maemo. maemo.org itself has ways to distil top downloads, top news, top discussions... but still it's useful that people with a focus on something go and showcase / translate / summarize / illustrate / frontally attack their own area of interest to their own readers or members.

A percentage of those readers / members will grow their knowledge and interest in Maemo, and if maemo.org accomplishes well its role they inevitably will come here with fresh brain, blood and hands willing to get more involved.

And something very important to keep in mind: these "new" people interested in Maemo these days are highly important for the success of Maemo (and maemo.org, I'd say) beyond its natural boundaries within the Linux and open source communities. Many people is getting enthusiastic about new aspects in maemo, and this is extremely good. Many people is actually no newbie but quite expert, only not in Maemo until now.

Said all this... we have big trust and confidence that the current Maemo community will handle this transition and growth. These days the expectations around Maemo 5 and the N900 are growing to high levels (sometimes even too high for my taste). Following people's comments there outside, they also have big expectations on this community.

Exciting times, indeed.