Very interesting. It's funny, I'm actually launching a site with the chicken/egg problem and I thought of some of the same ideas (fake users or at least having your friends create 2-3 accounts each and chalking up my campus quad). I'm glad to hear that these ideas have resulted in lots of hits. I will report back on my progress with chalking for those interested. I'm planning to hit the 3 major universities in my area and I think this could have major impact. We'll see!