The first users are part of the product

For a networked product, the first users do more than test the experience. They define it.

Their behaviour establishes the tone, the norms, and the reason later users stay. This makes the initial community a design decision.

The question is not simply, “How do we get users?” It is, “Which small group will make this product more useful for one another?”

A broad launch can produce impressive numbers and an empty network. A carefully chosen starting group can produce density, trust, and the first signs of genuine pull.

At the beginning, who joins matters as much as how many join.