Ask HN: Want feedback on LinkedIn alternative
15 comments
> Users will need a work email to register to validate their company
This would prevent me from using it, already for the reason to really separate work and non-work. Also I think apart from a few conservative BigCorps, nobody really cares about formally verifying the CV e.g. based on past certificates.
This would prevent me from using it, already for the reason to really separate work and non-work. Also I think apart from a few conservative BigCorps, nobody really cares about formally verifying the CV e.g. based on past certificates.
> for the reason to really separate work and non-work
Do you mean that you would rather use your personal email to connect with other professionals? I am bit confused.
Do you mean that you would rather use your personal email to connect with other professionals? I am bit confused.
I think so. I mean I can definitely imagine situations where it's preferable to network with a work email especially when working in an early stage startup. But at a regular Software Engineering job I'd probably go with my personal email
My professional identity transcends whatever client/employer I happen to be working with right now.
So for me, absolutely.
So for me, absolutely.
Work email disappears when changing employer. Also I strongly don't want the 'hi Jon, want to work here instead?' messages going through corporate IT.
One CEO I know sent a company wide email with a subject line "Explanation???" and a body consisting of a screenshot of an employee's LinkedIn profile where it stated that he was open for work.
I thought blasting it was a mistake, but it wasn't. The employee, upon seeing that, quit on the spot. The CEO tried to convince him to stay and have a conversation, and the employee didn't want to hear anything after that.
I think he even just forgot to update that thing, but that paranoia and lack of tact and class pushed him to actually look for work elsewhere.
I thought blasting it was a mistake, but it wasn't. The employee, upon seeing that, quit on the spot. The CEO tried to convince him to stay and have a conversation, and the employee didn't want to hear anything after that.
I think he even just forgot to update that thing, but that paranoia and lack of tact and class pushed him to actually look for work elsewhere.
What would be the purpose of such a site, from the users' point of view?
It sounds like the user experience is: I sign up, and "connect" with people whose email addresses I had already. Now what? What actually happens on the site? Why am I not just using email to talk to those people?
It sounds like the user experience is: I sign up, and "connect" with people whose email addresses I had already. Now what? What actually happens on the site? Why am I not just using email to talk to those people?
[deleted]
We will be allowing you to connect with people outside your network. For example, if you are a UX designer that wants to network with other UX designers. We will protect your email by using alias. We assume your email is like your phone number. You don’t want to reveal it until you know them.
How will I connect with other UX designers if there's no search? How will I 'network' with them if there's no social media?
What do users actually do on this site? That's not clear at all.
What do users actually do on this site? That's not clear at all.
[deleted]
You will be able to select by location and industry. You can then read their description about what type of interaction they want. For example, they want to meet other UX designers that does website designs. You can then initiate a conversation via email. We will protect your email through alias.
It's called "email".
Dear Doctor so and so. Hi, it's me, your old coauthor. Something something science. (And then... here's the hard part: don't attach a photo of your genitals... just a PDF of your CV).
LinkedIn is bad opsec, use the IM feature to take things offline.
Dear Doctor so and so. Hi, it's me, your old coauthor. Something something science. (And then... here's the hard part: don't attach a photo of your genitals... just a PDF of your CV).
LinkedIn is bad opsec, use the IM feature to take things offline.
if your going to take the local angle then you need to start locally. or give me a compelling reason to ask my friends to join.
would I join this maybe if my friends/colleagues were on it.
would I join this maybe if my friends/colleagues were on it.
Thank you for the feedback. I will definitely think about this.
Here's a breakdown of what people said:
Want - Count
I developed 4 personas based on this survey.
The networkers seems unhappy with LinkedIn. The job hunters and recruiters are willing to deal with tons of spam for the chance of finding their next opportunity or the right candidate. Everyone seems to agree that social media is the worst part of LinkedIn and is a net negative to the user experience. So much so that many users do not login for months on end other than occasionally updating their resume or checking inMail.
Taking the breakdown of what people said, I want to propose an alternative version that focuses more on the social capital aspect of professional networking. We are primarily targeting the networker persona that do not feel LinkedIn fulfills their needs. Such as meeting other professionals in the industry, understanding the local industry landscape, and asking for advice for professional challenges.
Our platform will be a professional directory based on location and industry. Users will need a work email to register to validate their company. In order to add someone to their connections, they need to know the specific person’s work email. This can help users stay in touch with one another after they leave their current role. There is no global candidate search by name to cut the number of random connection requests.
Add your LinkedIn link (or any personal homepage) to your profile if you want to redirect users to your resume. We believe this is best for our users that want a single source of truth for their experience.
There will be NO social media. You don’t want to read about other people’s personal update.
The platform does one thing only: connecting industry professionals that have legitimate reason to with one another. We aren’t looking to replace LinkedIn. We want to focus more on that parts that LinkedIn doesn’t do well at.
Is this something you are willing to try out? We are looking for feedback/ validation and early beta users. If you could, would you mind dropping your email in this form:
https://forms.gle/abw59j8FZBXKJRNa7
Let me know if you have any questions.