Very Social Network

European LinkedIn Alternatives

EU STARTUPS - Oct 6 - LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network platform, with ~610M users in 200 countries worldwide. Netherlands has the most accounts compared to the working population (81.8%). It is followed by Malta (77.5%) and the UK (75.6%). Here are some LinkedIn's European alternatives:

• Xing – Founded in 2003 in Hamburg, Xing is a leading online business network in German-speaking countries, and is considered one of the biggest challengers to Linkedin. It has 18M users.
• Viadeo – Launched in Paris in 2004, Viadeo is connecting talented members with employment opportunities. Viadeo has ~65M users globally.
• Goodwall – Originated in Geneva, Goodwall is a vast network – 1.5 million – of young professionals from 150 countries, including high school and university students, entrepreneurs, and starting professionals.
• The Dots – Calling themselves 'the professional network for people who don't wear suits to work,' The Dots aims to differentiate itself from other professional networks focusing on creative people working in tech, media, music, fashion, design, education, advertising, film, retail, photography, architecture, hospitality and more. The Dots is a UK-based and primarily very UK-focused network.

by Daria Kholod
See full article at EU Startups

See the top news on Goodwall                        See the top news on LinkedIn
See the top news on Viadeo                          See the top news on Xing

The Rise of Niche and Vertical Social Networks

FORBES - Dec 21 - According to eMarketer, Facebook lost ~2M users under the age of 25 in 2018, and the number of Facebook users keeps dropping. Other social networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn are losing young users as well. The reason is the growing interest in vertical networks. A vertical social network is a specifically targeted social network that connects people with very specific interests, hobbies, and passions. People on vertical networks can receive specific and targeted content on a daily basis and, even connect with people who share the same interests. There is a variety of vertical social networks catering to different individuals, including Behance, StackOverflow, Goodwall and ResearchGate. Behance is an advanced vertical network for creative individuals. It allows artists and designers to showcase their work and discover new art every day. On 2012, Adobe acquired Behance for $150M. StackOverflow provides questions and answers related to code development and the surrounding challenges. Goodwall is a community of 1M students and young professionals who connect to discover opportunities from $1M+ in scholarships to 5M+ jobs and internships. ResearchGate is the platform for scientists and researchers to share research articles.

by Ilker Koksal
See full article at Forbes