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Comment by wallaBBB | Hacker News Reader

It's a self-CEOs and HR circle jerk platform. An alternative would have to depart from trying to create same type of engagement as FB or Twitter, as it would run down the same path, but focus on showcasing skills and providing better search options.

hmmm, but I'm still afraid that a push for monetization and YOY growth would eventually ruin whatever good is made.

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Yes the newsfeed can look like that which is why I unfollow almost everyone...

I use it to stay connected with professional connects many whom are friends and then I message them on the platform. It works well for this i.e. mantaining one's professional network.

If it is bootstrapped, would you pay $1-2 per month (charged annually) for a service like this? Removing the pressure for YoY growth.

professional's won't take you seriously unless you charge $50 minimum per year, probably closer to $100.

Good to know. I think $5-10 sounds very reasonable.

Hmm that's tricky, you have to keep in mind that with $100 per year you're maybe limiting entry in markets with a lot of resources (e.g. IT professionals in India).

Maybe I'm wrong, dunno about price points, I do know I find it quite easy to support someone on Patreon with $5 per month if I find the content valuable. And this should not be viewed as more valuable, people are not constantly looking to switch jobs or take on more work, for many it would be pretty passive network (as is LinkedIn).

That doesn’t actually remove the pressure for growth from what I can see.

A network site has value only when the people I want in my network are on it. That’s pressure for growth, whether driven by me inviting them or you enticing them somehow.

I doubt you’ll find many people willing to pay for a subscription to a new upstart LinkedIn that doesn’t have at least some critical mass of users already. Would I pay $20/yr for an actually better LinkedIn? Probably. Would I pay $100/yr for news.yc? Absolutely. Would I pay $20/yr for a networking website with 50K users, 0-3 of which I know? No.

Sure, I paid for LI premium to check out courses (1 trial + 1 to finish) but did not find added value worth the money. Same way I pay on patreon for content I get for free anyways, to support spam-less quality content. 1-5 USD per month is a range many would pay to have a clean professional environment, and it would eliminate bots.

Problem (that I see) is getting something like that off the ground, to reach critical mass.

Also if it goes public, would it remain like that without further pressure to bring more income. Courses do sound like a quality idea from Linkedin, but other (MOOC) platforms seem to be doing it better. Perhaps a partnership with a MOOC platform...

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