They certainly don't. My suggestions were more in line with creating a successful site.
While I understand the philosophy of the 'slow web', I can't see it creating successful websites that depend (at some level) on return customers.
The other option for traction would be search engine traffic, and that isn't (likely) to happen with ask.io. (A third traffic option is direct referrals, but they'll be specific to a week: hey everyone, send my wife a card: ask.io! .. and thus wont create return traffic)
The slow web is better for disseminating unchanging information - like a dictionary or encyclopedia - that's needed on-demand.
I'd be interested in OP's thoughts on his Slow Web philosophy and creating traction with ask.io.
Hi. Not OP, but I who wrote the initial content of The Slow Web here.
The Slow Web and traction are not opposed, in my opinion. You CAN have traction without choosing to annoy the crap outta your users. It comes from understanding what your users are (or the target market you want to chase).
If you want to make a Slow Web service, understand then that your users aren't/shouldn'tbe the kind that are interested in logging in everyday to check on updates. Your marketing to your users would need to be a longer term relationship thing. It would of course be easy to annoy the shit out of your customers, but it's in my opinion that all that does is longer term harm.
I stopped using Facebook, LinkedIn for that reason. Once the novelty wears off, you stop using anyway.
http://theslowweb.com/