How about a social network for introverts — or those who want meaningful connections? I’ve been thinking about this for a while: Can a social network where users connect with only a limited number of connections, say between five to 12 connections succeed? I’m not sure if it could be commercially successful, but I think the idea might make sense for some people.
The aim
Essentially, the aim will be to facilitate strong bonds based on loose bonds. Your inner circle of 5/11 gives you a strong bond (relatively) while the content each member shares from their own circles provides you with weak bonds to keep you connected with the larger society.
But it’s mostly a quiet place for introverts or people who want relative quiet. It would be an online network where what you see on your timeline is news or information from a friend you know and trust.
How it could work
People will be able to invite or select a finite number of people, let’s even say 10 friends or connections. Meaning a social circle would consist of 11 persons including you. The people in your social circle will be able to share content from their own circles, which you may or may not be a part of. But potentially, a member of a 5-member circle may belong to an infinite number of circles of 5s or 12s (whatever the limit is).
Financing
I think it would work better as a free social network, but it has to pay for itself, right? These are some finance options:
- Invite users to donate to fund the operations
- Have a dedicated space for advertisers who encourage people to spread the word about their offerings
- The network could use the ad model like existing social networks, too. This could be by using algorithms to suggest services and products the same way search engines work based on what you search for or from your previous activity. But users may also opt-in to receive random suggestions based on certain topics or themes
- Advertisers could work through micro-influencers via referral or a word-of-mouth approach
Going forward
I’m open to advice and help with the fine details. If this idea makes sense, I’m open to developers who can help work it out as I have expressed it or in a more suitable form.
Other interesting things
Beethoven became deaf
“…Beethoven became more original and brilliant as a composer in inverse proportion to his ability to hear his own — and others’ — music. But maybe it isn’t so surprising. As his hearing deteriorated, he was less influenced by the prevailing compositional fashions, and more by the musical structures forming inside his own head. His early work is pleasantly reminiscent of his early instructor, the hugely popular Josef Haydn. Beethoven’s later work became so original that he was, and is, regarded as the father of music’s romantic period. … Deafness freed Beethoven as a composer because he no longer had society’s soundtrack in his ears…” (The full article is even more fascinating: The Washington Post)
A word to the wise
“It is easier to wake a sleeping man than one who’s only pretending to do so.” (Source: Possibly Ethiopia, Navajo Proverb, other variations and attributions)