LinkedIn competitor Path.to steps it up a notch, takes on the professional network giant

Social media isn’t over

While some opine that the social media land grab is over, that Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have already cornered the social media market and technologists should focus on underserved niches. Others say social media is dying (we argue otherwise) and others get the sense that it is dominated by marketers.

Regardless of where you personally stand on the spectrum, Path.to recently launched and with only five employees appears to be a viable competitor to LinkedIn, a professional network that is riddled with news algorithm problems, an outdated user experience, and a staff that is non-responsive, a trait we find in their product at times as well. The network has become so “me too” that it looks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn circa 2004 made a strange lovechild.

A beautiful alternative

Path.to is a “professional network designed to showcase individual talent, passion and experience in a unique, meaningful way,” and we would add that they do so in a more aesthetically pleasing way that offers customization and is one of the few beautiful networks online. It offers internal messaging, a newly launched feature, allowing any user to message any other user, but their take is unique – when you read a note from another user, you decide then if you ever want to get mail from the other user again, a preference setting the sender doesn’t see. They have also addded mobile search to the mobile browsing experience and give users analytics on who is visiting their profile.

What the network is quickly becoming known for is locating a specific person with specific skills in a specific area and they are building a ranking system to help bring to the surface the people you are more interested in connecting with by adding to their algorithm the users’ education level, experience, social graph and reputation.

By making the user experience and ranking geared toward matching the right professionals with the right seekers, the experience for employers should be improved which is why Path.to could give LinkedIn a serious run for its money.