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Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

sellff.com

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Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#101

Post by wombat-man »

flashgordon wrote: post #98
wombat-man wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah, plus they have sort of earned a reputation for being a bit of an intense place to work, quick to fire people who fall behind. Idk if that kind of stress is worth it.

So (sadly) in a way all companies wear that as a badge of honor and a way to filter for "culture fit"!

I mean, if I were in a slightly different point in my life, I might be willing to grind out long hours for a year or three if I thought I was going to come out the other end a multi millionaire.

But the way they structure the RSUs makes that way harder, it kinda feels like I might as well wait for IPO and buy shares then.

Lack of job security is big too, but I guess that's to be expected at any startup.

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#102

Post by 4sellff »

ipaddr wrote: post #91
paulcole wrote: post #41

> zero-cost | privacy-focused | ad-free Where does the money come from?

Next release.. zero cost moves to paid for anyone offering services. Which is the opposite model of linkedin. Sellers are free.. buyers pay.. plus upselling to both groups as premium offerings

Your comment indicates one option for monetizing the platform. For now, we do not see that as ideal. We are focused on ways to increase the value provided to the buyers and sellers [members] on the platform. To the degree the solution is working and people value it, only then can we attempt to extract some of that value. If we over-reach, usage will drop. So, there is a fine balance needed here.

We are adamant about exploring and discovering new models which do not involve traditional advertising or selling/sharing of member data.

We are also realistic and realize there are expenses to providing this solution. So, monetization is a requirement to keep the doors open.

A question for you, assuming this service becomes successful. [1] What would be a reasonable price to pay for promoting your services and being able to easily connect with trustworthy professionals?

- Is $1.00 per year fair? - Is $10.00 per month reasonable? - Is a % of revenue you generate a better model?

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#103

Post by varispeed »

I wish there was a service I could simply pay for using, enough so that the operator wouldn't have to use invasive advertising where I could connect with other people who would want my services or vice-versa. Why such a simple thing seems to be not possible? Everyone looks to be only motivated by $$$ and turning potential customers into product. I also don't understand why should I value a network where the main selling point is zero-cost ad-free. If people on there don't want to pay for something that brings them value, are they going to want to pay me for my services? This is so contradictory. What's the goal here?

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#104

Post by varispeed »

4sellff wrote: post #24
5350-uiop-1130 wrote: post #11

Novel idea but won't something like this just end up being manipulated or gamed in one way or another.

I believe the trading feature helps to prevent manipulation. The investments you make in others counts towards the TRU Score for you and the other person. So, if you make "bad" investments in others, it will only serve to reduce your TRU Score. Of course, some people might be willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. But, that should be easy to identify. Example: If a high-reputation person vouches f…

Does the platform give an opportunity for a group of people to "cancel" someone out of spite?

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#105

Post by 4sellff »

grenoire wrote: post #84
4sellff wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The starting share price is 1.00 for all members at the time of registration. - When anyone BUYS shares in your profile, the price will increase by 0.01 - When anyone SELLS shares in your profile, the price will decrease by 0.01 Each trade is fixed at 100 shares There are a few limits we placed for the launch: [1] A maximum of 1,000 shares in another member per day - So, if you wanted to BUY 5,000 shares, it would ne…

So it's not actually a market-making system, but rather a superficial point system disguised as 'dollars.'

Maybe a little harsh :-)

At launch, all trades are 100% liquid and you are free to BUY/SELL as many shares within the limits indicated. Each trade moves the price up/down 0.01. I do not consider that to be necessarily worthless however.

The share price and trades reflect actual member activity and sentiment. It's an indication of interest, that was not available before. Why would you buy shares of another members profile? Why would they buy shares of your profile?

Until today, you could follow or like. Now, you have the option to invest. However, you are free to not invest any of your "trust tokens" [superficial points]. You could, if you like, only use SELLFF to perform discovery and direct communication of other members who may choose to participate in trades.

We thought the trade feature would be an interesting experiment, to see how people would react if they "could" invest in each other, just like stocks. This is a first version and we will need to see how things develop.

I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Is exactly the feedback I was hoping for as we work to build this marketplace solution.

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#106

Post by tkiolp4 »

I don’t want a score associated with my name, so I wouldn’t use your service. I wonder how many people would like to have an associated “trust” score; I mean if you are an average individual I imagine you would get an average score of, let’s say, 5 over 10... you’ll look ridiculously untrustworthy compared to someone who has a score of 9/10. At least in the real world you have a chance to prove that you could be as trustworthy as anyone; with a score that chance goes away.

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#107

Post by 4sellff »

varispeed wrote: post #104
4sellff wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the trading feature helps to prevent manipulation. The investments you make in others counts towards the TRU Score for you and the other person. So, if you make "bad" investments in others, it will only serve to reduce your TRU Score. Of course, some people might be willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. But, that should be easy to identify. Example: If a high-reputation person vouches f…

Does the platform give an opportunity for a group of people to "cancel" someone out of spite?

Not sure if I understand the question entirely. There is no "short selling" allowed. Thus, the only shares you could sell are the shares you own.

A group of people that might deliberately attempt to manipulate the system would be relatively easy to identify. Obviously, that would not be acceptable behavior.

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#108

Post by pessimizer »

AshleighBasil wrote: post #95
CognitiveLens wrote: post #93

Interesting take on the challenge of determining professional trust. Seeing pictures of 3 white/European males on the homepage might turn off a more diverse audience of users, however - even if it's representative of the early adopters, it's important to present the product more inclusively.

Does this work inverted? Would showing only brown people drive away white users, or are white people a special, universal race that doesn't need to be coddled? I'm not trying to troll or be obnoxious, I'm curious how people think about this. Does tokenism really make people feel included, or does it just give white people something to be moral and self-deprecatingly righteous about? I'm Mexican and when americans do…

> Would showing only brown people drive away white users

It definitely would, but for different reasons. Black people seeing only white people would assume the platform will be racist, white people seeing only black people would assume that the platform is inferior.

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#109

Post by macspoofing »

>I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

Zero-cost and ad-free FOR NOW you mean. At some point you're going to have make money and the only viable options are 1) charity/donations 2) subscription 3) ads and data selling. #2 means you're not 'zero-cost' and #3 means you're not 'ad-free'. So you're going to rely on donations?

Re: Show HN: I built a zero-cost, ad-free alternative to LinkedIn

#110

Post by toss1 »

varispeed wrote: post #103

I wish there was a service I could simply pay for using, enough so that the operator wouldn't have to use invasive advertising where I could connect with other people who would want my services or vice-versa. Why such a simple thing seems to be not possible? Everyone looks to be only motivated by $$$ and turning potential customers into product. I also don't understand why should I value a network where the main sell…

Fully agree. Unfortunately, the networks that are built for pay are basically seeking extortionist-level payouts. One, which started out on a freemium model to connect makers and designers, seemed pretty good, the free plan did ok, and the others were tempting if I needed more. Then, somethign changed, and they reworked their site, and expected to take something like a 30% cut of all business done through link-ups made there. That might work for a few small one-off jobs where the total is small, but anything where you might work together for a competitive bid, their 30% cut demand will just force the cost right through the roof. So, nevermind now....
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