Very interesting read Ben. I also heard something similar about the rise of Pinterest in that __ the first 20,000 users were the hardest, and getting these first users to make using the app a habit. I never realized how much social engagement, specifically on Twitter, Ryan worked to get traction. I guess the key is meaningful interactions, and not just activity.

But, I think “technical execution” is also as important as the tactics Ryan used. There is a lot of PH functionality and business logic that is not availble in TeleScope and other “curated lists” like OpenHunt. I think there are specific features these curation sites must implement to be successful..

• Community-sourced contribution & classification
• Reputation-based ranking (higher rep users have more priveleges like StackOverflow)
• Set boundaries on user reactions
• Aging (demote list items over time)
• Prevent duplication via moderation and business logic

Classification (like PH collections & app groupings) and moderation is essential to prevent the useless clutter that is so prevelant with PH clones and “stash” sites.