I'm adding this discussion topic for thoughts on gamification and "brand" loyalty. Could Area 51 learn anything from placing a freeze on a site (and maybe prompting for feedback from visitors)?
What would happen if one of your Area 51 sites went "on holiday" and closed for a day or two? Would the outcome say anything about the community around the site? Should Q&A users be "fans?"
Not that I'd ask for such a feature (well, maybe if it actually helped improve participation), has anyone seen reactions to Area 51 or Stack Exchange down times (if they ever go down)? :-)
