[Spivak]

I would have to strongly recommend against number eight. It's almost impossible to be done tactfully and it's even harder to avoid the appearance of using your friends.

If I built something cool that I genuinely believed one of my friends would find useful then I would wait for them to seek me out with their problem and just give them perpetual free use with no strings attached and write it off as marketing.

[K0balt]

Must depend on your relationship culture. My friends and family would be insulted if I didn't try my product out on them first.

[gargarplex]

It's worked for me, repeatedly, and it's also been a stepping stone towards a Friends and Family investment. YMMV.