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Will find? The crazyness about "social media" is exactly that, luring users around your product/brand.

• jacquesm 16y ago
  Not really, in those cases the 'product' is the data about the users, not the actual engagement of the users to create value outside of the forum where the interaction normally takes place. It's hard to put the difference any clearer than that, but YC engages a small subset of their users in activities that they are peripherally engaged in on the forum. Other 'social' sites sell their users data wholesale, that's a completely different kettle of fish. Most of the users on HN are not engaged in the revenue stream of YC, directly or indirectly whereas almost all the users of other social sites are directly involved in the revenue stream.
  • inerte 16y ago
    There are several websites calling for user engagement where the money source is not user data. It's about "creating a community" around your product. I can assure you, in publicity and marketing circles, when social media is mentioned it is precisely to attract consumers for your product. The type of interaction between HN and YC is not new. It's just hard to replicate. Companies are trying this since the dawn of the internet. Think about what is the forum on the World of Warcraft website. The social media craze is an attempt to apply this community feeling to other markets.