 Horn saw the Echo bulletin board system as a place where conversation could revolve around literature, film, culture, and sex, rather than the more pervasive topics of computer technology at the time.Originally run out of Horn's apartment in Greenwich Village in her spare time, Echo rapidly expanded its membership, and eventually consumed every free phone line in her Greenwich Village neighborhood, requiring New York Telephone to run a separate cable to Horn's apartment.In 1990, Echo became a company with a core group of members chosen by Horn for their "strong on-line personalities", who were responsible for creating enticing discussions to attract users.