3 ms·

Early SEO (when it meant a lot more than it does now) + the network effect. An incredible success, and as strong an outlier as ever exists. http://plentyoffish

• timr 18y ago
  He also spammed the hell out of craigslist, iirc. There was a period of about a year where you couldn't go into a craigslist dating room without seeing fake posts that linked to POF profiles.
  • staunch 18y ago
    Yeah. I think there's a pretty dark side to the rise of POF that Markus has been less than forthcoming about.
    • jasonlbaptiste 18y ago
      how the hell is that dark? he's at number 13 or even 130, it's still a huge success. he didn't rip anyone off here. most startups in the consumer space that have a big rise have some form of what purists would call a "dark side".
      • staunch 18y ago
        Then call me a purist. I don't think you're right that "most" startups have a dark side. I'd guess that most don't. I'd rather be one of those.