by Bart Gottschalk | at MinneBar 14 | 1:55 – 2:40 in Tackle | View Schedule
Social media and social networks have grown tremendously to become one of the most significant sources of news, connection and entertainment for people.
However, there's growing dissatisfaction with the companies behind social media platforms. More and more, people are waking up to the reality that "if you aren't paying for it, then you're the product" and people want an alternative.
These platforms have a fundamental problem in their business model. They grew their network while acting in relatively benign ways using venture capital. At some point, they had to shift their focus from growing their membership to "monetizing" the “asset”. Their goal was to make this transition "invisible" to their users to maintain whatever trust they had managed to build.
Unfortunately, this shift has been translated into selling data, selling advertising, and selling access to "eyeballs." None of these companies managed to find a way to any other business model and it's ruining them, their member’s experience, and it could be argued, our communities.
I'll propose a new approach to building a social network based on 11 principles. My goal in this talk is to see if this problem, these 11 principles and this idea resonate with you. If it does, I'll provide you with an opportunity to help move this idea forward!
I've been involved in building web applications and digital products for more than 20 years. I've worn many hats, worked across a range of business and technical environments and been responsible for the full SDLC as an engineer and manager.
