>>>I'll answer this last one later with some examples of others
>
>That's fine, but while you're at it, can you identify another "profession" that allows self-interested vendors to anoint community leaders?

Wow, John. Where have you been hiding?

It would be a lot easier to name vendors who don't do that.

Every accounting software vendor that I know of supports some kind of community of VAR's who sell its products. Invariably the vendor, to use your term, "annoints" the leaders of the community who usually also happen to be the largest volume sellers.

My brother is in the life insurance business and that industry invented the "community" idea by organizing groups of large producers.

Back in the mainframe days, IBM created GUIDE - a group of IBM mainframe users - and subsidized periodic meetings and annual conventions. GUIDE officers also happened to be associated with the largest installations.