Well, nobody can tell, there is so much factors... But like I said, test. In fact, test, test test and retest. Also, test again and when you're 100% sure, just test another time. Dont ask to much question and act
Well it doesn't matter, after how many years you start developing it, just make sure if it is a content based site, keep it unique and useful for readers
On the same line as Craigslist you can also try posting to gumtree, that has lots of traffic. Find sites in your niche and post to forums on there, that will not only get u a link but also traffic as the people on that site are already potential customers to your niche. YouTube is good but remember you have to do seo for your video to, with keywords, description etc so i'm not sure it's the best way to go to see lots of traffic unless your video goes viral.
Hah, same thoughts in my mind.... The EMD edition of their algo was maybe one of the most stupid things they have done so far. Not surprisingly Beth is after them now...
Exact Match Domains can still work. But the competition has to be far lower. This doesn't apply to well established sites. But for any new domain name, ranking with an EMD is more difficult now than it was 5 months ago.