4 ms·

It's not about the platform itself, it's the users. Am I going to be able to find new customers on this platform, consistently, like I do in LinkedIn? If not,

It's not about the platform itself, it's the users. Am I going to be able to find new customers on this platform, consistently, like I do in LinkedIn? If not, why would I spend the X number of hours I have dedicated this month to finding new clients on this platform? If you can Crack this nut you will have no problem finding users.

hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
When LinkedIn originally started, it wasn't about "finding new customers on the platform", and I for one would be more than happy if another site decided not to support that as a primary use case. At least when I joined, LinkedIn was about connecting to your respected colleagues, so that in the future if you needed help from your network (a job, info about a product, but perhaps most importantly, a 2nd-level introduction), then you could ask for it. I'm perhaps a dying breed but I still only connect to LinkedIn people that I either have worked with or know at more than a passing level. I make strong use of the "I don't know this person" when I receive unsolicited invites.
- iancmceachern 2y ago
  That's where they make their money though. In my view you are missing out on a huge part of the value, and a lot of career opportunities by not using it to meet new people who share your field, vision and passion for your work. It's like listening to the same songs over and over and never doing any music discovery. It's not so "salesy", it's more about expanding your network beyond people you already know. This isn't something to eliminate, this is the whole value of the platform. Otherwise it's just a glorified mass text.
  - johannes1234321 2y ago
    There are ways to do that in paces with a way better signal to noise ratio. Especially if I care about local connections in my area. (Meetups, local communities, etc)
    - iancmceachern 2y ago
      It's funny, it's the exact opposite for me. I can go to a dozen local meetups and not meet one heart transplant surgeon or CEO of an artificial heart company or other blood pumping medical device. Even major cities have only a handful and they are busy. There is very little chance of bumping into them at a local meetup. It's much more time efficient for us to connect in this way. Anecdotally, I've seen its common in the bay area at least for folks to exchange linkedin qr codes right away when meeting new folks, like a business card.
      - DrFalkyn 2y ago
        The best place to meet heart transplant surgeons is at conferences
        iancmceachern 2y ago
        Not really, I've been to many. I've flown all over the world to attend them. ISHLT, ISRBP, ASAIO, etc. Attending them regularly for years was not nearly as effective as the techniques I've outlined above. That's what I'm trying to say, from personal experience. Do you say so from personal experience? So in the end, you are saying this is a networking app for people who want to network using apps less?
      - johannes1234321 2y ago
        This is not my area, but will the surgeon really waste time at LinkedIn? I expect them to either work (doing surgery or administrative work) or relax at the golf course. For the CEO it is a bit different, doing marketing maybe part of their Job. However in both cases I expect an assistant etc to be at a conference, who then can introduce me. Which immediately is more personal than one in a million messages on LinkedIn. But again, not my field.
        johnnyanmac 2y ago
        >but will the surgeon really waste time at LinkedIn? Depends on the person. But I'm sure the most conscientious ones will be the people making those "viral" posts that makes them connections. a potentially pompous surgeon is more than no surgeon if your goal is meeting likeminded connections. >in both cases I expect an assistant etc to be at a conference, who then can introduce me. sure, a conference which may not be in your area (so add in time and money to travel), potentially in certain areas needing a higher level pass (so more money). It's effective, but not potentially accessible. As well as rare; unless you have plenty of travel time you may only get to go to a few conferences a year. And even with all that a deep connection is not guaranteed.

hn_throwaway_99 2y ago

When LinkedIn originally started, it wasn't about "finding new customers on the platform", and I for one would be more than happy if another site decided not to support that as a primary use case. At least when I joined, LinkedIn was about connecting to your respected colleagues, so that in the future if you needed help from your network (a job, info about a product, but perhaps most importantly, a 2nd-level introduction), then you could ask for it. I'm perhaps a dying breed but I still only connect to LinkedIn people that I either have worked with or know at more than a passing level. I make strong use of the "I don't know this person" when I receive unsolicited invites.

iancmceachern 2y ago
That's where they make their money though. In my view you are missing out on a huge part of the value, and a lot of career opportunities by not using it to meet new people who share your field, vision and passion for your work. It's like listening to the same songs over and over and never doing any music discovery. It's not so "salesy", it's more about expanding your network beyond people you already know. This isn't something to eliminate, this is the whole value of the platform. Otherwise it's just a glorified mass text.
- johannes1234321 2y ago
  There are ways to do that in paces with a way better signal to noise ratio. Especially if I care about local connections in my area. (Meetups, local communities, etc)
  - iancmceachern 2y ago
    It's funny, it's the exact opposite for me. I can go to a dozen local meetups and not meet one heart transplant surgeon or CEO of an artificial heart company or other blood pumping medical device. Even major cities have only a handful and they are busy. There is very little chance of bumping into them at a local meetup. It's much more time efficient for us to connect in this way. Anecdotally, I've seen its common in the bay area at least for folks to exchange linkedin qr codes right away when meeting new folks, like a business card.
    - DrFalkyn 2y ago
      The best place to meet heart transplant surgeons is at conferences
      - iancmceachern 2y ago
        Not really, I've been to many. I've flown all over the world to attend them. ISHLT, ISRBP, ASAIO, etc. Attending them regularly for years was not nearly as effective as the techniques I've outlined above. That's what I'm trying to say, from personal experience. Do you say so from personal experience? So in the end, you are saying this is a networking app for people who want to network using apps less?
    - johannes1234321 2y ago
      This is not my area, but will the surgeon really waste time at LinkedIn? I expect them to either work (doing surgery or administrative work) or relax at the golf course. For the CEO it is a bit different, doing marketing maybe part of their Job. However in both cases I expect an assistant etc to be at a conference, who then can introduce me. Which immediately is more personal than one in a million messages on LinkedIn. But again, not my field.
      - johnnyanmac 2y ago
        >but will the surgeon really waste time at LinkedIn? Depends on the person. But I'm sure the most conscientious ones will be the people making those "viral" posts that makes them connections. a potentially pompous surgeon is more than no surgeon if your goal is meeting likeminded connections. >in both cases I expect an assistant etc to be at a conference, who then can introduce me. sure, a conference which may not be in your area (so add in time and money to travel), potentially in certain areas needing a higher level pass (so more money). It's effective, but not potentially accessible. As well as rare; unless you have plenty of travel time you may only get to go to a few conferences a year. And even with all that a deep connection is not guaranteed.