> I get the frustration but the only real "solution" to the network effect is to steal the "friend graph" from the other sites and give people an account withou

> I get the frustration but the only real "solution" to the network effect is to steal the "friend graph" from the other sites and give people an account without them asking for one. If this were true, then Facebook would have never taken out MySpace. Facebook got its foot in the door by being a social network designed for a specific niche of people (college students). It tapped into what that audience wanted and wasn't getting elsewhere, and only expanded after being _the_ platform for college students. The problem with most of the social networks today is that they want to start off as an everybody social network. I say "most" because I'm sure there are social networks out there succeeding with their target niche, but haven't yet expanded beyond that niche to a more visible entity. When they're ready, I'm sure we'll slowly hear of them more and more until they become commonplace, without having a dramatic entrance.