Another way would be to create a lot of captivating content, capturing their email addresses, and turn all those readers into the audience. So give them something they want to read first, then make them communicate w/ each other. Or make sure the social network you want to create has value even if there's NOONE else in it.
You can also troll around in related forums and just start personal relationships with people. Start your own curated newsletter.
I also would recommend scraping fake posts from forums rather than coming up with your own. Put fake usernames, etc. Otherwise it ain't gonna be scalable. I rather invest my time in marketing than creating fake discussions.
"I also would recommend scraping fake posts from forums rather than coming up with your own. Put fake usernames"
Not this.
I agree with the first two paragraphs. But scraping content and removing attribution is unethical.
Over the years I have heard many anecdotes of successful startups doing shady things in their early days. [1] It makes me think this is an industry norm. Do what it takes to succeed.The ends justify the means. (As long as it's just a white collar crime.)
Am I in the minority for noticing this? Or for caring to the point of construing an action such as content scraping without attribution as going down an ethical slippery slope? Do other entrepreneurs consider this viewpoint as being weak and uncompetitive?
More than any of my other comments, I'm hoping to get replies here rather than silent views or votes.
[1] Facebook and the Social Network has been the most sensationalized. But for my argument, let's remove instances of intra-company squabbles. They are often he said, she said; a company's interactions with the public should be easier to interpret.
Content scraping happens all the time, and the benefits outweigh the risks (worst that happens is a cease and desist). If the alternative is investing lots of time creating fake users and fake discussions, I rather scrape and use that precious time for marketing. The content you're scraping technically isn't copyrighted by the website - it's user generated content.
You can also troll around in related forums and just start personal relationships with people. Start your own curated newsletter.
I also would recommend scraping fake posts from forums rather than coming up with your own. Put fake usernames, etc. Otherwise it ain't gonna be scalable. I rather invest my time in marketing than creating fake discussions.