Why should we judge? We are simply amazed of how that community grew, and take my words about Hacker News with a grain of salt too, just kidding. We are so amazed that I thought Hacker News had to know it :P

About the rest, I really think that what happened and is happening with Italian Startup Scene can be an incredible case study (but we'll see what it's able reach). Facebook had a key role in this all, it acted as amplifier of each move.