scale

1. Concept, device, or procedure used in arranging, measuring, or quantifying events, objects, or phenomenon in any sequence. Scales may be broadly classified as (1) Category scale: Sequence of numbers or words which only serve to identify certain entities or observations and have no quantitative significance; for example, a numbered or named list, or numbers on the uniforms of the members of a team. Also called nominal scale or qualitative scale. (2) Interval scale: Sequence of numbers in a fixed order representing amount, interval, or numeric values; for example, a distance or temperature scale. Also called quantitative scale. (3) Sequence scale: Ranked entities or items with a uniform spacing but no quantitative significance; for example, hardness scale (Moh's scale), pH Scale, or Richter scale. Also called ordinal scale.

2. Ratio of the size of an object as drawn to its actual size. See also scale drawing.

Customers are used to being maltreated. Most of the companies they deal with are quasi-monopolies that get away with atrocious customer service. Your own ideas about what's possible have been unconsciously lowered by such experiences. Try making your customer service not merely good, but surprisingly good. Go out of your way to make people happy. They'll be overwhelmed; you'll see. In the earliest stages of a startup, it pays to offer customer service on a level that wouldn't scale, because it's a way of learning about your users.

• The Importance of Network Effects