An idea I've been playing around with
I've had this idea for a while, I've watched so many social networks that I once loved become data harvesters with bad content and invasive ads. There are a lot of problems in the year 2020 with most social networks and I think I have some ideas for fixing them. As a form of initial validation I've written a blog post which I am sharing everywhere I can, if I get good feedback from this post then I will start a blog specifically dedicated to my ideas about how to improve the social network experience. That will continue to serve as validation while building an audience and continue to validate. If there is enough support behind the idea I will build it starting sometime in the next six months or so.
I apologize that the post is a bit long. If you're at all interested in how I believe social networks could be fixed to be safer, more inclusive and more intimate please have a read and tell me what you think.
https://tfantina.github.io/business/social/ideas/2020/06/04/A-Better-Way.html
Normally I wouldn't post something like this on Indie Hackers but I do think that there might be something to this idea and if I decide to move forward with it I plan on making regular updates and being open and transparent with my journey here on Indie Hackers.
It sounds like you’re tapping into a real challenge many creators face with their content getting lost within social networks. I’ve dealt with similar frustrations while managing my own content, and I can relate to the need for better exploration tools.
One approach that worked well for me was to create a system where I could organize and categorize my content outside of traditional social platforms. By building a repository (it started as a simple database), I was able to tag content by themes or topics, which facilitated easier navigation and discovery.
In terms of user experience, consider allowing users to not only categorize their posts but also visualize connections between them. This can create a more engaging browsing experience and foster an environment where users are encouraged to explore related content.
Also, integrating gamification elements—like rewarding users for discovering and engaging with diverse content—could further motivate exploration beyond just the usual feeds.
As I developed this approach, I focused on gathering feedback from users who found it valuable to discover older posts relevant to current events or trends. Monitoring engagement metrics showed a significant increase in time spent on the platform when users could easily explore connected content rather than viewing it in a linear manner.
If you’re considering building a tool around this, I’d advise starting with a minimal viable product that emphasizes the exploration features and iteratively adding improvements based on user feedback. This could not only solve a pain point but also help in creating a vibrant community.
Looking forward to seeing where you take this idea!
Hi Travis!
Thanks for sharing this very interesting idea!
It particularly resonates with me as I stopped using Facebook many years ago for some of the reasons you mentioned in your article( ads, shitty content, feeling of wasting my time).
I like your idea of bringing close communities closer without all the noise of a social network.
Thus I the problem is indeed real (for me at least) and solutions can then be found.
For example, I have solved this problem by deleting the FB app from my phone and only having conversational apps such as Messenger, WhatsApp and Viber.
On all three I have groups (family, friends) with which I share content.
Questions:
Keep hustling 🙏
Hey, thanks for your thoughts. You are really not alone, there is a growing group of people who have left the big social networks, I'm just not sure if that departure has left a void or not. I'm still trying to figure out the demand for something like this. I do have a lot of ideas that I will be elaborating on as I have the time to write more and start doing a few wireframes just to get my ideas out there.
I believe you have understood the problem correctly, the solution is currently nebulous and will most likely evolve as I come to understand the market.
Are you still having a problem that I could solve? That I would be interested in hearing from you, your using Messenger, WhatsApp and Viber, as you say conversational apps, do you miss any of the features or interactions from Facebook? Are you using any other social media like Twitter?
Hi!
I am indeed only using conversational apps and no more social medias (never been on Twitter). I don't miss any of the features.
Have you heard about Cocoon? It's a YC-backed startup founded by two former Facebook employees and basically a private app for the people close to you.
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/cocoon-6?utm_campaign=5307_2020-06-04&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Product+Hunt&utm_term=editorial
I saw Cocoon a few months back, at the time Cocoon didn't seem to have any path to profitability but I can see that now they are planning on a paid subscription model. Also, I see they are going to the Android store which was another complaint I had with them. I'll have to check them out before I dive too deep into my idea. I'm not against entering a crowded market and the fact that someone else is doing something similar is not at all a deterrent. But the end of the day I'm building this product for myself as much as anyone so if an existing solution is out there that I'd be happy with, I'd rather work on something else.
As one having similar problems I can say why conversational apps don't solve it to me: they tur the shared content into a huge pile of silo - unsearchable, unmanageable, unconsumable.
The great proposition of social networks is to keep it organized, but current vendors don't do a great job at it - finding my own old post on FB can be a mess. Solving this problem is really what would make a difference between data-milking and meaningful content sharing. So if you solve this problem UX-wise - you got me :)
That's my problem with using chat apps for things other than chat (don't get me started on "slack developer communities"). My platform would feature a linear timeline with months or years (depending on how much content you have) clearly delineated. I've even thought of adding a percentage feature that shows what date your in as you scroll down and lets you quickly jump backward or forward in time.
timeline is something that already exists, and in my opinion, it works badly. I don't remember dates, and I don't want to remember them; I remember (and want to remember) events and experiences.
Moreover, I don't often want/need to explore my friends' experiences right when they happened, but rather when I look for something to do myself (egoistic? At least honest).
So it looks to me that there's an unsolved problem: social networks pile your content to silo with no possibility to meaningfully explore it. If there's a tool that allows me to organize my content in a meaningful way, and, as a bonus, similarly explore my friends' content - I'm in.
P.S. this kind of concept also enables the "come for the tool, stay for the network" approach, which is kinda crucial for new social platforms as they don't have enough users to give a network value right away.
Hey @zhookovsky when I said timeline I was thinking of something much different from the "timeline" you get on say Facebook. My idea was something more visual and clear (I hope). I made some wireframes this week and recorded a video demo of what I mean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtCdh0EMoxc&feature=youtu.be
The "timeline" feature is displayed at the 2:10 mark.
This can work, although it's gonna be challenging to deal this way with an excessive amount of content. It's going to require a lot of UX thought, and the UX will be a name of the game here to attract the early adopters, IMHO.
There's a lot of stuff happening in the 'community building' world. It feels like there are so many tools now, check out the tools section on my Notion resource.
It's a bit overwhelming tbh. I dream of communities that have more meaning and feel real, not sure how that practically looks irl though. Lots of people are trying it from many different angles. It brings me hope, at least!
Hey, @rosiesherry that's an awesome resource. Looking at some of your books and articles it seems like you've taken a real academic approach to this research. That is an incredible resource.
I used the term community a lot in my article but I was generally referring to families or friend groups as communities, although the idea would be applicable to any small group that wanted to keep in touch. I like the iCloud shared albums feature, where you can invite other people to a shared album, the experience is not great if you're not in the Apple ecosystem and it is limited to just photos and videos but that's along the lines of what I'm talking about when I say smaller more locked down groups.