Since they just copied another company, it probably was easy.
http://flavors.me/
And beyond being a similar product:
a) About.me's visual style is stronger than flavors
b) Their domain is better and landing page more straightforward
c) They got traction by recruiting influential people to their advisory group who spread the word
d) They wisely cut the fat, made it ultra simple which makes this easily adoptable - enter your name, upload a photo, connect some links and you're done.
b) agreed
c) cronyism
d) flavors.me probably started simpler, and added more features to try and get more traction.
Those who refuse to do it out of some sort of misguided morality mission typically can be found on the sidelines crying foul at the players making the big wins.
Building a good product is not the only part of being a successful entrepreneur. It's not even always the most important part, depending on the market and the entrepreneur, though it always helps, and is often necessary.
It's always a talent acquisition.
Where your talent is that you already know the guy heading M&A.