The *business* of software
How can we make this succeed?
Does anybody have any hints for how to get this social network off the ground? Is it just a matter of getting enough people to join until we hit critical mass, or is there anything else we should be doing?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mark Kofman on -
I have posted the link on my twitter - http://twitter.com/programeter . Retweet it and some of your friends would catch up.
Mark
Automated Analytics for Remote Software Development
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Permalink Reply by Matt Richards on -
Maybe it's obvious to everyone else, but I'm a little new to social networks. How do you define success?
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Permalink Reply by Neil Davidson on -
Matt Richards said:How do you define success?
Good question. I'd like it to be a place where people can find answers to questions that they have and find people who share the common interest of building long-term, sustainable, profitable businesses. If i feel compelled to visit it at least once a day then I think that will be a success.
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Permalink Reply by Matt Richards on
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I know a fair number of engineers, both software and hardware, that are good at product development, but don't have a good product idea. I assume that there are a lot of people out there with good product ideas and have no idea how to develop them. I wonder if there is a way to get non-software people to post ideas for products on this site. Or maybe this is already being done elsewhere. I would assume that the resulting efforts would be joint ventures, where both the "idea people" and the product development people would have an equity stake in an ongoing business. This wouldn't just be one-off contracting.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Nunan on -
It needs to have a focus, otherwise it's yet another social networking site that you sign-up for, forget your password and shortly after forget the URL. If it's a place for people to find answers, then you obviously need a means to pose questions. The fact that it isn't anonymous means that you should get a higher quality of answer than on the general interweb - the question is how to do it. A business version of that stackoverflow site?
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Permalink Reply by Bill Butler on -
Dan took the words right out of my mouth: a StackOverflow for business might be ideal. Given the fact that you and Joel were in cohoots on the Bos, maybe you could convince him and Jeff to clone the model/platform for a business theme.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Swanson on -
Well, IMO, I think the best solution would be to figure out how to migrate some of Joel's "Business of Software" users to this network. I think the content on Joel's site is great, but I think the Ning network provides advanced functionality in comparison. The problem is that I think Joel probably wouldn't like the drop in traffic...
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Permalink Reply by Anna-Jayne Metcalfe on -
FWIW I've twice recently seen people in the Lounge on codeproject.com asking about ISV issues. I've been redirecting them to JOS, 47 Hats etc. but from now on I'll also send them here. ;)
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Permalink Reply by Neil Davidson on
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Brian Swanson said:Well, IMO, I think the best solution would be to figure out how to migrate some of Joel's "Business of Software" users to this network. I think the content on Joel's site is great, but I think the Ning network provides advanced functionality in comparison. The problem is that I think Joel probably wouldn't like the drop in traffic...
I think this complements the Joel on Software forum rather than competing with it (that's the intention anyway). The content on Joel's forum is indeed very good (I go there at least once a day), but it's often very mISV focused.
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Permalink Reply by Dave Collins on -
I think quality is more important than quantity.
Many of the people joining will be members of various organisations, newsgroups, forums etc.
For this to work it needs to maintain momentum, and offer more than "just another forum".
Time will tell, but it's certainly getting off to a great start!
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Wold on -
A model that's worth considering and one that I've seen succeed is to make sure that those who do join really want too. It's easy to bring in new members, but it's hard to keep them focused unless they _really_ want to be there.
How about adding a barrier of entry to membership? Payment is one idea, but there are ways to make free work as well. Add some "qualifications" or, simply, a membership application. Let new members answer a small series of questions and then go through a short approval process. This will help eliminate any traces of spam and it'll create a higher value in the minds of those who make it in.
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Permalink Reply by Maureen Bruen on -
Try implementing a Social Network Campaign. It is my understanding that this is still an experimental practice but you will need a method to get old and new friends involved.
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