> Hard to say indeed. I'm not sure how a social network bootstrap method can get "old and tired" either - humans don't change how they socialise that quickly!

> Hard to say indeed. I'm not sure how a social network bootstrap method can get "old and tired" either - humans don't change how they socialise that quickly! But they do get wise to things like false scarcity of digital goods or artificial gatekeeping, and it puts them off. When a strategy is no longer novel or original, its loses its effect. Yes that early core community can really set the tone for a long time, and may have been worth it. On the other hand, an even bigger risk to a social network is not getting enough community to cause positive feedback effects and organic hockey-stick user growth. Failure to launch. Especially with a glut of social media competitors crowding the landscape.