[ThomPete]

Having someones email is like you being logged into their social network instead of them having to log into yours. You need to handle this relationship carefully.

I am 40 and for that reason I am biased with regards to email as I grew up with it. Having said that. I can't find a much better tool than email to build a social project around.

When I started weekendhacker.net I got 3000 signups in a week. First 10 newsletters with around 100 projects I hand wrote but it allowed me to try out and see if there was something of value without spending too much on servers etc (WH is non-profit).

Now I am at 8000 members and with 500 projects under the wing. I have more automation now but it's still centered around the newsletter and it still feels like a community.

Starting a business around emails is the quickest and most telling way of starting a business next to people actually paying you.