[Alex3917]

> If your strategy involved needing to take advantage of network effects, growing as fast as possible seems like a requirement.

Not necessarily. Most businesses with network effects (including Facebook) follow the "come for the tool, stay for the network" approach.

[kqr]

Right, but in any given group of people, the first people won't stick around to become the network unless they have reason to believe their network will shortly span their entire group -- i.e. grows fast.