Not blaming anyone

  I wanted to ask Fred Wilson this question: "What happens to your users' tweets, blogs, podcasts, check-ins, discussion threads, Scrabble games, photos when the companies go out of business?"
  I did ask the question. He answered. And that's done.
  A number of people jumped to a conclusion about why I was asking it, and took it to mean something that it didn't mean.
  I just wanted to get the answer, and I wanted people's attention.
  The answer is this -- even though Fred didn't say it -- it's true anyway.
  When the companies go out of business your data is gone.
  The time to talk about this, openly, publicly, without fear is before it's gone.
  I'm telling you. I speak from experience. People take this stuff very personally. If the pioneer users in 2004 didn't see it coming, and didn't prepare for it, today's users especially won't see it coming. If you want to have an industry left after companies fail, we need to start doing something about this.
  The companies aren't doing it. If anyone would know about it, it would be Fred, because he uses so many of the products the way they were intended to be used. Because he is both influential, very widely listened-to, and is respected as a user if he says there's a problem people will hear it.
  I don't expect him to get on a podium and start talking about it, but I would be happy if he did. I just wanted, for now, to establish this as a good question, and one that there should be an answer for, and there isn't one.
  PS: There are also some good comments in this earlier thread.