The plan is to first launch a service craft -- replete with robotic arms and enough processing horsepower to work independently if needed -- followed by the tiny base-unit skeleton satlets.
Internet communities might provide similar support, but it often wouldn't be nearly as instant, and the lack of a face-to-face presence might make it harder for people to feel motivated enough to really craft their work.
Many years before their "slow design, " with its emphasis on craft and substance, came into the post-recession zeitgeist, Standefer and Alesch recognized it in each other's work.