Here's why Pinterest has the best sign-up process on the web

I'm sorry, after having just completed the Pinterest signup process myself I can't agree. There's nothing extraordinary about their signup/login process. I was pleased to see that they didn't ask me to log back in after signing up though.

Sidenote, a waiting list (for me it was overnight) lets the website leave my brain for 24 hours, then reappear via email (likely solidifying the name in my memory at that point). But it also allows them to do email verification in a nice way, without making it feel like a chore to me.

I thought it was awful. Part of the signup process apparently involves automatically making me follow boards from people I don't know, with no obvious way opt out, making it impossible for me to find the content I signed up to see (my wife's postings).

The whole "exclusive" web is played out. You are not special because you have access to a website.

It totally depends on the site. For developers, engineers, and anyone familiar with the software industry, it might feel played out. But to people like my family and numerous friends who are NOT in the industry, it still feels exclusive.