Virality and network effects drive organic growth.

less than 1m read

·Nov 3, 2024

The best consumer companies incorporate both virality and network effect, which are different concepts but very closely related, in order to grow their user base organically.

Virality is the idea that one user using your product introduces it to other users somehow in the use of your product, whereas network effect is the idea that the product gets better the more nodes in the network exist.

I'll give you an example from Facebook's early days. So, when you took a picture on Facebook and uploaded it, you were prompted to tag your friends, even if they weren't already on Facebook. Those friends would get an email saying, "Hey, someone's tagged a photo of you; sign up to view the photo." That's a viral mechanic.

By uploading the photo and tagging your friends, you spread it to new users. A network effect comes from Metcalfe's Law: the value of the network is the square of the nodes in a network.

What that basically means is the more people who use this thing, the more valuable it gets. So, WhatsApp is a great example of this.

15 Things That Keep You Broke & Tired (Gen-Z/Millennial Edition)

THE FED JUST BAILED OUT THE STOCK MARKET AGAIN

View All

Trump More Likely To Win The Election?

I’m just getting a feeling like I had in 2016 that this is Trump’s to lose. Now, what’s your feeling telling you? Well, you know, there’s—and I get this data pretty well every morning—there’s 43 counties in seven states. 45% of the population hates Trump…

15 Daily Habits to Boost Your Intelligence

Everybody wants to be more intelligent, right? There’s no denying that. So where do people get stuck? Some may try to debate this, but here are the facts: Although genetics do play a part in cognitive development, or intelligence as most of us call it, fo…

My Thoughts On The Stock Market Collapse

What’s up you guys? It’s Graham here. So, we gotta sit down for this one, even though I’m always sitting down, because we’re beginning to see some major changes taking place in the market. If you’ve opened up your computer and taken all through any amount…

This Is A Light-Nanosecond!

I trimmed my beard yesterday, so I’m feeling a bit like a baby today. But look at the trimmings! Specifically this one that is 2.4 fortnits worth of beard growth. How do I know? Well, because of this tool I made. This about 5 years ago to free people from…

Watch: What It’s Like to Read Lips | Short Film Showcase

So, when I was really young, probably kindergarten or first grade, I have a much older brother, and we’d go out to recess. There was this older guy; he might have been in like fifth or sixth grade. They’d always used to pick on us, and I didn’t really kno…

Surviving a Coyote Ambush | Something Bit Me!

Ambushed on a desolate road at night, Andrew repels a coyote attack, but the coyote isn’t alone. As soon as I hit the initial coyote on the head with the flashlight, that’s when the other two, you know, saw the aggression from me and started to attack. It…

Virality and network effects drive organic growth.

More Articles