4 ms·

The internet deserves a better answer to social

19 points by mikece 4y ago

PaulHoule 4y ago
Isn’t a waitlist the #1 way to kill your startup?
- Kye 4y ago
  It isn't a startup. Sustainable is key for stuff like this. Hockey sticks are the danger. Communities are built slowly.
  - PaulHoule 4y ago
    Nah, it’s a simple flow problem. If you can fill out a form to sign up and sign up then there is one step in the process, one point where people can drop out of the process. If you can fill out a form to get on a wait list you now have two steps, two opportunities to lose a user. At the first step you will lose more people because people are loathe to fill out their contact information on forms today, particularly if it is indeterminant whether or not you will ever get any benefit. Once somebody gets off the waitlist there is not a 100% probability that they’ll really sign up. The conversion rate from somebody visiting that page to signing up might be 5%, adding a waitlist transforms that to a process with a 2% conversion rate. That’s “death” for a startup, but for a non-accountable non-profit that has inclusiveness problems (e.g. so trendy it has to run an office across the street from the biggest homeless encampment in America) it is just par for the course.
DoItToMe81 4y ago
Given that a third of the article is dedicated to talking about how a safe space is more important than freedom of expression, and seems to imply that "neutrality", rather than massive commercial influence and suppression based on that influence, is the key problem with social media, I have extremely low hopes for this.
- musicale 4y ago
  It will probably be hard to create a public space that is both: - safe for people who express unpopular political (or other) opinions - safe from people who express unpopular political (or other) opinions
v0idzer0 4y ago
> Why? Because it moves power away from big tech companies and into the hands of diverse voices to build a social platform that meets people’s needs, not shareholders’ needs. - Big tech company launching a social network

19 points by mikece 4y ago

PaulHoule 4y ago

Isn’t a waitlist the #1 way to kill your startup?

Kye 4y ago
It isn't a startup. Sustainable is key for stuff like this. Hockey sticks are the danger. Communities are built slowly.
- PaulHoule 4y ago
  Nah, it’s a simple flow problem. If you can fill out a form to sign up and sign up then there is one step in the process, one point where people can drop out of the process. If you can fill out a form to get on a wait list you now have two steps, two opportunities to lose a user. At the first step you will lose more people because people are loathe to fill out their contact information on forms today, particularly if it is indeterminant whether or not you will ever get any benefit. Once somebody gets off the waitlist there is not a 100% probability that they’ll really sign up. The conversion rate from somebody visiting that page to signing up might be 5%, adding a waitlist transforms that to a process with a 2% conversion rate. That’s “death” for a startup, but for a non-accountable non-profit that has inclusiveness problems (e.g. so trendy it has to run an office across the street from the biggest homeless encampment in America) it is just par for the course.

DoItToMe81 4y ago

Given that a third of the article is dedicated to talking about how a safe space is more important than freedom of expression, and seems to imply that "neutrality", rather than massive commercial influence and suppression based on that influence, is the key problem with social media, I have extremely low hopes for this.

musicale 4y ago
It will probably be hard to create a public space that is both: - safe for people who express unpopular political (or other) opinions - safe from people who express unpopular political (or other) opinions

v0idzer0 4y ago

> Why? Because it moves power away from big tech companies and into the hands of diverse voices to build a social platform that meets people’s needs, not shareholders’ needs. - Big tech company launching a social network