It could be an option. However, here some points to the existing platforms:
Facebook: as far as I know you cannot have in a group different pages for different topics. Scalability would also be a problem in the future for example to add new features
Slack: in the 10+ EA slack groups I am in, most of them people go to introduce themselves and never come back
Discord: similar to slack
a small MVP would be I think fairly easy to implement. But if the platform development seems to be a constraint sure an existing platform shall be considered
Facebook: as far as I know you cannot have in a group different pages for different topics.
Perhaps have one group for one topic as an MVP?
Slack [and discord]: in the 10+ EA slack groups I am in, most of them people go to introduce themselves and never come back
Do you think this is a problem with the features in Slack/Discord?
a small MVP would be I think fairly easy to implement.
This is not my intuition, especially since the features of Facebook/Slack/Discord don’t seem to be enough. Maybe I’m not in sync with what you imagine as an MVP?
But if the platform development seems to be a constraint sure an existing platform shall be considered
My prior for this kind of project is that the bottle neck is something between “critical mass of people” and “some idea [product market fit?] on what to do together (such as meet-once-a-week or whatever)”, and not the technology. In other words, it’s not like this project will succeed-or-fail based on having an extra click to find a document, or having a slightly better filtering mechanism.
But this is only a prior, I expect it will either really resonate as true or that I’m missing something
Slack/Discord: it has nothing to do with the features but with how little people use (or are comfortable using) slack/discord outside their already existing EA Groups/Projects. In Facebook people are more active in general but if you have data to prove my wrong happy to be wrong :)
I think also the critical mass of people is important. The post has not reached many people so probably Facebook is the best alternative to make it easier for the people to find and start gaining members fast in the corresponding pages, even if the pages idea seems far from optimal.
how little people use (or are comfortable using) slack/discord
Even if they use slack/discord very little: They use a new [a new platform that doesn’t exist yet and nobody ever used and everyone knows that nobody used] even less. No?
Facebook is the best alternative to make it easier for the people to find and start gaining members
I agree, and again, this is an advantage that a new platform will never have. (right?)
corresponding pages [...] pages idea
Do you mean “Facebook Group” (where you wrote “page”)? If not—then I didn’t understand, could you explain in other words?
Even if they use slack/discord very little: They use a new [a new platform that doesn’t exist yet and nobody ever used and everyone knows that nobody used] even less. No?
The platform, as MOOCLAB, is thought to be for the first contact to find the buddy, after that you share your email/fb/… with your buddy and coordinate however you want. In the new platform you would automatically get email notifications when someone replies to your message or sends you a message so the interaction with the platform itself is minimal. I know in slack you can also specify different settings in different groups, …. but less intuitively and there are so many EA (and non-EA) slack groups that many people feel overwhelmed and stop reading messages at all.
I agree, and again, this is an advantage that a new platform will never have. (right?)
If there would be an efficient way/channel to promote (new) EA Platforms to all EAs I would say “never say never”, but at the moment there is not
Do you mean “Facebook Group” (where you wrote “page”)? If not—then I didn’t understand, could you explain in other words?
I am not into Facebook and do not know the difference between “Facebook Group” and “Facebook Page” but whatever works better for this ends.
Hey, how about starting with an MVP which is an existing platform, such as a Facebook group, Slack channel, discord, or something like that?
(Instead of developing a new platform)
It could be an option. However, here some points to the existing platforms:
Facebook: as far as I know you cannot have in a group different pages for different topics. Scalability would also be a problem in the future for example to add new features
Slack: in the 10+ EA slack groups I am in, most of them people go to introduce themselves and never come back
Discord: similar to slack
a small MVP would be I think fairly easy to implement. But if the platform development seems to be a constraint sure an existing platform shall be considered
Perhaps have one group for one topic as an MVP?
Do you think this is a problem with the features in Slack/Discord?
This is not my intuition, especially since the features of Facebook/Slack/Discord don’t seem to be enough. Maybe I’m not in sync with what you imagine as an MVP?
My prior for this kind of project is that the bottle neck is something between “critical mass of people” and “some idea [product market fit?] on what to do together (such as meet-once-a-week or whatever)”, and not the technology. In other words, it’s not like this project will succeed-or-fail based on having an extra click to find a document, or having a slightly better filtering mechanism.
But this is only a prior, I expect it will either really resonate as true or that I’m missing something
Facebook: not optimal but as MVP might do
Slack/Discord: it has nothing to do with the features but with how little people use (or are comfortable using) slack/discord outside their already existing EA Groups/Projects. In Facebook people are more active in general but if you have data to prove my wrong happy to be wrong :)
what I imagine as MVP as mentioned in the post is a simpler MOOCLAB: https://www.mooclab.club/members/?key=study_buddy_members
I think also the critical mass of people is important. The post has not reached many people so probably Facebook is the best alternative to make it easier for the people to find and start gaining members fast in the corresponding pages, even if the pages idea seems far from optimal.
Even if they use slack/discord very little: They use a new [a new platform that doesn’t exist yet and nobody ever used and everyone knows that nobody used] even less. No?
I agree, and again, this is an advantage that a new platform will never have. (right?)
Do you mean “Facebook Group” (where you wrote “page”)? If not—then I didn’t understand, could you explain in other words?
The platform, as MOOCLAB, is thought to be for the first contact to find the buddy, after that you share your email/fb/… with your buddy and coordinate however you want. In the new platform you would automatically get email notifications when someone replies to your message or sends you a message so the interaction with the platform itself is minimal. I know in slack you can also specify different settings in different groups, …. but less intuitively and there are so many EA (and non-EA) slack groups that many people feel overwhelmed and stop reading messages at all.
If there would be an efficient way/channel to promote (new) EA Platforms to all EAs I would say “never say never”, but at the moment there is not
I am not into Facebook and do not know the difference between “Facebook Group” and “Facebook Page” but whatever works better for this ends.
P.S: I sent you an email cause I rarely read this