How to run a small social network

Re:How to run a small social network by apwheele on Sunday December 31, 2023 @12:34PM (#38825774)

I've pretty much always had this problem when making niche social networks. Get 30-50 people sign up, it gets some very mild interaction in the first month (by typically only a few of the people who signed up), and then dies. (Maybe happened in 5-6 different groups over the years people have started.)

I've taken this to mean the individuals in the group just don't really need another social platform. But I do wonder if there is a better way to get small communities like this to engage so it is more spread out.

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Re:How to run a small social network by throwaway874839 on Sunday December 31, 2023 @12:42PM (#38825856)

That's slightly different from my experience, in which I built a niche social network for music explorers, but it also has bookmarking features.

I noticed a sustained usage from very few people (perhaps 10-20 users), even after a year.

So clearly there's some value other than the social aspect of the site. Not sure what to make of it though.

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Re:How to run a small social network by FredPret on Sunday December 31, 2023 @02:10PM (#38826581)

The way other platforms did it is by either being the first and getting rapid growth that way, or by being exclusive and building your appeal. Facebook did the latter - first Harvard only, then a couple more uni's, and by that time they had the critical mass to sustain a proper platform.

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