How can the concept of bootstrapping a product help in overcoming the Cold Start Problem?

Bootstrapping a product can help overcome the Cold Start Problem by creating an initial user base or activity that attracts real users. This can be done by manually generating content or activity, as was done by Reddit's founders who posted on the site's front page with bot accounts. This initial activity can create momentum and attract a core user base, which then starts to generate their own content or activity, making the product valuable and self-sustaining.

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Besides things like market subsidization and invite-only strategies, other methods, like bootstrapping a product, can ensure products that rely on communities don't dry up, à la Reddit (the founders would post on the site's front page manually with dozens of bot accounts). This was necessary for Reddit to build momentum and gain a core user base. Organic users soon began to post their own content, which rendered the founders' bot accounts surplus to requirements. But that kickstart was crucial.

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The Cold Start Problem

When a networked product launches, it faces a chicken-and-egg problem: people need to use it for it to be worth anything. So how do you start the very...

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