Making social media better
Social media has filled a place in our world to connect people, but it’s more for friends and family or businesses and consumers. Talking about your workday can be difficult on Facebook or Twitter, but even entrepreneurs and small business owners need a positive and supportive community where they can find more information or get another perspective. Fortunately, a startup out of San Francisco has recognized this and developed an app to help the business world.
The company is called BetterCompany. In just two years, it’s raised $7.7 million from investors to provide “an entirely new type of dialogue.”
How does it work?
BetterCompany is available in both Google Play and the App Store. When you register, you are actually identified as your title. You can choose what fits you, Business Owner, Founder, CEO, or Graphic Designer, or many more. You are given a unique icon as an identifier, many of which are animals. The anonymity is one of the key ingredients that makes BetterCompany different.
You can ask questions about situations and don’t have to worry about being identified. Once you’re registered, it looks a lot like a Facebook feed, but the posts are currently limited to text. You can choose which communities you want to interact with on your feed, based on job titles. There are no advertisements, videos, or photos to weed through.
The team at BetterCo keep the posts business-related and positive. They are committed to their code of conduct, which includes violations for privacy disclosure, harassment, or unrelated content. Incomplete posts in which there is no way you can give constructive feedback are deleted. This is one of the questions placed on the app: “Does anyone ever feel heavy stress over having to make the big decisions? If so, what’s your process for managing and getting to a decision?” Every one of the responses has been helpful and positive.
My experience with the BetterCo app
I downloaded the BetterCo app about two months ago. It actually took me a while to start using it, but I am hooked. It’s helped me gain confidence in responding to others. I have knowledge, but sometimes I feel like I don’t have the real-world experience to say anything. Because I’m anonymous, I can give my two cents with less anxiety.
We recently had a discussion about using freelancers or employees. Most of the advice was to use employees, but I was able to share my experience with a company that has a great business model for freelancers. Never shared the name of the company, but I was able to say that it can work. Made me feel good.
If you’re looking for a place to gain information and give out your experience, check it out. I’ve learned so much about dealing with others in the business world in a short time, and I’ve been able to direct people to information I have. I think you’ll find it a positive place.
