In 2014 we started a journey to help the business world get closer, one Nudge at a time. So we went to work building a modern networking app, and worked with thousands of users in a closed BETA on delivering that promise. Well, today we have opened up the BETA, and want business professionals everywhere to give it a try.
What We Have Learned
People Don’t Need Another Social Network, Good Thing We Didn’t Build One
Most people’s networks have exploded with weak connections in many different places. They clearly don’t want another social network to add to the chaos. However, they do want to bring those connections together, and be able to see what is going on in one place. That was important to our first users.
There is A Ton of Social Noise, You Need to Filter it
After hitting 4,000+ users in the closed BETA (yes a statistically significant number, thank you Dr. Zoe Katsimitsoulia, our data scientist), we found we were tracking:
This means only 1 in 10 “connections” are active relationships. So 90% of what you see and hear from your network is social noise. And it turns out the best way to reduce the noise, is to use relationship strength to filter it out.
What You Can Do
See the True Strength of Your Network
Nudge analyzes all of your contacts and connections for relationship strength, and then calculates a Network Health Score (NHS). Mine is:
This means I have 229 strong relationships, and 1148 active relationships (from 6,242 total contacts). I also know who is in my “tribes” in my network, not only by strength, but by a number of key traits that bring people together.
Find Out Who Really Knows Who
By understanding relationship strength, you can finally end the “connected” but not connected conundrum on LinkedIn and other social platforms. When collaborating with other Nudge users, you can see the strength of their network, and find out who they know best.
As an example below, I only have had a brief call and a few email exchanges with Fred Shilmover, CEO of InsightSquared, so our business relationship is just starting. With Nudge, I can see that people in my network (other Nudge users I am collaborating with) know Fred a lot better, and could help me if I wanted to get back in touch with him.
Where We’re Going
It has been incredible building a modern networking app that will help business professionals grow the right relationships across their career. Throughout the BETA, however, it has also become clear that there is a huge opportunity to leverage the strength of relationships as a team, in any growing business.
Sales, marketing, service, success and execs all rely on their network to help find and service customers.
That is where we are headed next. Imagine a solution that always recommends:
- The right person (internal or external) who has the strongest relationship with a key decision maker.
- The right set of accounts to target, because they are “closest” to your business in terms of your relationship strength.
That is what we are building next, and it is coming very soon. Register here to request early access to Nudge Team BETA.