I guess my only other feedback would be to think critically about whether each decision you model after other sites is actually a decision that led to success, or whether those sites would have been successful without those decisions.

The Drudge Report has a simple site, a 27 year history, and Matt Drudge.

Was it the simple site format, the headstart on other news sites, or the founder that made it a success?

Maybe it was one thing, maybe it was a combination, maybe it was another unrelated factor. I don't know which it is, but it's worth it to think critically about what actually led to the site's success.