Some insight to be gleaned here:
10 Steps to a Hugely Successful Web 2.0 Company
I don’t completely agree with all of his “steps”, particularly the examples he provides. Take #7–Get people hooked on free–for example. Yes, free will always win you fans, and a large user base has intrinsic value, but if you’re providing a service that people are willing to pay for, by all means let them pay. (Regarding his Thefacebook vs. Match.com example–which one is actually making money?) Still, there are some good ones. My favorite: 6. Be mindnumbingly simple. Then again, this is a pretty age-old design mantra.
