A new social network, called "This.", which aims to reduce clutter on news feeds by only allowing users to share one link a day - resulting in a finely curated feed - has received funding.
This week, the social network was one of three start-ups to receive seed funding from Matter. In an interview with Matter, founder and CEO Andrew Golis explained: "If you limit people to sharing just one link a day, you give them the opportunity to express passion. That scarcity makes the act of sharing valuable... From there, we help people find stories and ideas worth their time, and begin to convene conversations around shared passion."
Since its private launch at the end of last year, the new site has garnered 10 000 users through its invitation-only approach. Golis says the network is in beta stage as feedback is received by the community to tweak the site before public launch.
Golis says 70% of users on the new site say the links on This. are different and better than links found on other sites.
Locally, there are 11.8 million Facebook users, according to the 2015 Social Media Landscape Report. According to KISSmetrics, the average Facebook user shares 90 pieces of content per month. A recent study revealed 40% of South Africans on Twitter, tweet at least once a day. This results in a large amount of content being shared daily in South Africa alone.
Wendy Norris, CE and founder of Tekne, said in an interview with the New York Times the site is "not much more than a low-rent prototype, but that to me is its genius", as it "is not a Silicon Valley wunderkind that's overdesigned and overhyped".
Golis has been quoted as saying: "Our obsession has always been simple: when you sit down on the couch at night and fire up your phone, tablet or computer, where do you start?
"You don't want noise. You don't want the latest headlines. You want a well-told story. A provocative argument. Something beautiful. You want the Web at its weirdest, its most ambitious. Its least 'virally optimised'."
The social network released a mobile app last month called This. Reader. Even though the network is invite-only for now, profiles are still visible to the public. Golis says the reader offers a "simple, beautiful, immersive consumption experience those links deserve".
The app allows you to open the links within the app and easily move between the links and share them if you feel that link could be your link of the day. "The app makes This. a social magazine: a way to browse media on the Web worthy of your time and attention when you have both to give," says Golis.
Click here to sign up to be among the first to know about the public launch.
Share