The Empty Bar Effect

Have you ever walked into a bar and immediately turned around and left, just because the place seemed so empty? That’s the way I feel when I sign up for the social networks that so many companies are trying to start up from scratch.

I’m a longtime fan and reader of Fast Company, but their new social network is, unfortunately, just such an empty bar. You can invest quite a bit of time filling out an extensive online profile (OK, I’m only 50% done), and you can even upload all your contacts into their community. But you’ll still see nothing but this:

Unlike LinkedIn, Fast Company doesn’t tell you which of your uploaded contacts might already be members of the community, or give you any other way to see someone you might want to talk to based on all the data you just gave them. (Their promo for the network claims that it will proactively find you some people related to your interests, but I can’t find this actually happening.) There isn’t even an easy way to browse existing members by geographical area, or by the industry you work in. You can’t even find out how many people are in this network, or whether anyone’s running the place.

Every publisher thinks social networks are the key to their online futures. But for users, signing up for a social network is a lot of work. They have a right to expect that the network will at least look like it’s working hard in return. Unless you immediately feel as if you’ve walked into a community where things are actually going on and there are people you might like to meet, you’re going to turn right around and head to a bar where there are some people who seem like they’re having a good time.