Space

I’m hosting communities online and offline for a decade now. To hold a space for a group of professionals takes range in “relative power” (as Adam StJohn Lawrence called it). You hold the space for others and almost disappear yourself, and you also have to step in and lead by example. As with everything, timing matters the most.

Time does not exist, so it is worth slowing down to unpack what is “timing”. I guess it is the rich context of the situation: how we show up together in a space. This makes it incredibly illusive.

A social network is a cultural phenomenon, not just technology. Our success or failure with People App depends on how well we understand the beauty of the current moment and “read the room”. How well we are able to build from right now so that we have a place in the future.

What we want is genuine human connection: we believe we can help to amplify weak ties, maintain a network of personal and professional connections, and even help to stay in touch with close friends.

Real-life connections do not fit in the boxes. I have tea friends, design friends, dragon boat friends, and some people who are all of the above and a bit more. And when I share, I want to be relevant.

Relevancy is tricky as well. It does not mean that I want only to know my design connections as designers. I like when people I know show up differently and present another side of themselves. I don’t mind if my tea friend wants to talk about the challenges of running a dragon boat team.

Solving for how we hold space for others, how we lead, how we connect and how we share online is our primary concerns today at People App. So much to learn and experiment with. 

Join as early adopter and help us to shape the new social network experience!