In many ways, it's never been easier to get validation and traction for your startup idea. Email-first is a good strategy for some but I'd love to hear other lean ideas and examples. Forum-first? SMS-first? B&M-first?
Phone-first is still pretty much the choice in many places. It's frustrating how many businesses in Eastern Europe, for example, fail to have any other means of contacting them or first-hand sources of information about them.