Comment by hedayet

Comment by hedayet 9 days ago

I built a no-AI, human-only social network focused on ONLY one thing - keeping people connected.

I'd stepped away from mainstream social media last year due to the overwhelming negativity, privacy violation, etc. Then around early this year, I started to feel I was missing updates from people who actually matter in my life. Instead of going back to traditional platforms, I decided to create a simple solution myself.

The platform emphasizes: - No AI algorithms or content manipulation - No infinite scrolling designed to trap your attention - A simple interface for sharing life updates with close connections (Text and Photos only for now)

We've intentionally made connecting difficult: no user search and no friend suggestions - you only connect with people you already know and care about.

Web: https://aponlink.com/ Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aponlink.a... (iOS version coming soon)

I'd love to hear how this approach resonates with the HN community, particularly from those who've also grown tired of traditional social media.

protocolture 9 days ago

So I like what you are doing but I think it might be worth having a larger think about this

> no user search and no friend suggestions

I get the intentionality, but the reason that facebook was successful was that it found the people you intentionally wanted to communicate with for you.

The issue is that the social graph overstays its welcome. After its done finding all the people you want to communicate with, it suggests a ton of people you dont.

I actually find this to be similar to netflix and spotify suggestions, both of which were able to find things I wanted to consume early on, but now just give me waves of shit.

Consider doing something a lot smaller, like an opt in, 1 month activation at a time, depth 1 search to find people you might want to connect with, but without the hassle of having to swap details on another platform.

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hedayet 9 days ago

That’s a great insight. I totally agree that early Facebook’s ability to surface actual connections was valuable before it turned into an endless recommendation machine.
The challenge is figuring out how to offer just enough discoverability that doesn't creep users. I like your idea of an opt-in, time-limited, depth-1 search, it keeps things intentional while reducing friction. Definitely something to think about.
Curious: would you see value in a simple "import contacts" option, or do you think that would risk overstepping?

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- protocolture 9 days ago
  
  As long as it is isnt intrusive. Both LinkedIn and Facebook have done this to me at some stage or another, and I get endless prompts to try again, and theres also a bunch of users on those platforms that are now recommended to me because of the search.
  It would be useful to identify my friends but I dont want a loose thread of some guy I emailed 20 years ago to constantly bug me.
  
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gwbas1c 9 days ago

You need an about page with screenshots, ect. I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I invest my extremely valuable time and attention into your site.

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The links on the bottom of the page (about, privacy policy, ect) don't work.

In general: Non-functioning links / buttons are a huge no-no. When I encounter non-functioning links / buttons in software, I just assume I'm going to waste my time and move on.

I know that sometimes when designing a UI, you want to be able to "see" what the final product will look like. Leaving them in before they work is sloppy, and gives the impression that your product also has more loose ends.

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hedayet 9 days ago

Thanks for the feedback!
1. The bottom nav links are fixed now, really appreciate you pointing that out.
2. > ...an About page with screenshots great suggestion! We’ll work on adding that soon to better showcase what Aponlink is about.

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btbuildem 9 days ago

Something like this has been on my mind for a while now -- take the useful, positive elements from across the socials (network of connections, media sharing, events, etc) and create mini-nets that let people who want to, stay in touch.

How do you envision onboarding? Do I join, and then try to convince a handful of people to join as well?

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hedayet 9 days ago

Glad this resonates with you! That’s exactly the goal—keeping the useful parts of social networking while removing the noise and AI-driven manipulation.
> How do you envision onboarding? Do I join, and then try to convince a handful of people to join as well?
Yes, that's been the idea so far for onboarding. But we’re also exploring ways to make the platform more organically discoverable and valuable from day one (without AI).
In my case, it's been easy to convince my network to move and I found they shared a similar level of dismay towards traditional networks.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions on the onboarding process

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- btbuildem 8 days ago
  
  I wish I had suggestions! The daunting nature of the onboarding is what cooled my jets in the first place, and I never got part the ideation phase with this particular project.
  The need is there (at least for some of us!) so the sell shouldn't be so hard, but I feel like I'm missing the "a-ha!" differentiator here. It's not enough to pull the good/useful remnants from the sludge socials are today; it would need an extra something to excite people enough to make the effort to engage with yet another online service.
  
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gonzaloalvarez 9 days ago

Trying to sign up, got this error:

Error Firebase: Error (auth/network-request-failed).

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hedayet 9 days ago

Thanks for trying it out! That particular error usually happens due to a temporary network issue or if third-party cookies are blocked. Could you try refreshing or using a different browser?
I’ll also check on my end to make sure everything is running smoothly. Appreciate the heads-up!

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