What are potential dangers when using boost::shared_ptr?

Question

What are some ways you can shoot yourself in the foot when using boost::shared_ptr? In other words, what pitfalls do I have to avoid when I use boost::shared_ptr?

Answer 1

If you have a registry of the shared objects (a list of all active instances, for example), the objects will never be freed. Solution: as in the case of circular dependency structures (see Kaz Dragon's answer), use weak_ptr as appropriate.