If at first you don’t succeed, try, try…and try, again

Yahoo! launches yet another social networking site, this time for college students who are trying to get a start in the professional world. Kickstart promises users a happy medium between more lax networks like Facebook and uptight, professional networks like LinkedIn. The launch comes after two previous attempts at a social networking site including Yahoo!360 and Mash, which is still in beta testing.

Kickstart is coming into the already saturated field of social networking, claiming that other sites like Facebook and MySpace don’t give recent college alums any help in entering the work force. Yahoo! says that Kickstart “is a professional network with a distinct purpose, as current college students and recent grads can use the service to find internships or jobs, or even garner career advice if they need it”.

Setting up a profile is pretty straightforward, but when it is completed, it looks more like a resume than a profile. Users are advised to keep their profile strictly professional, which means no posting drunken pictures of yourself and friends. Take a look at an example of a profile.

Right now Kickstart is only in “preview mode”, but judging so far, many are saying it needs a few fix ups. For starters, when adding a job, current or previous, to your profile, the length of time at which you worked is designated only in years. Most college students have only had serious jobs for a few months at a time.

But will college students and alum even join the network? Currently, Yahoo! is trying to lure professionals to sign up, because without them, joining the network is completely pointless. Students are looking to meet professionals, not other students in the same position they are. Yahoo! says that they will donate $25,000 to the university or college that has the most alumni sign up.

Personally, I think at this point Yahoo! is just trying to do whatever it takes to get a piece of the market. Why would college alumni need three different networks? They need one for their friends and family, and one for their professional life. Sounds to me like using Facebook and TEXTLinkedIn should be just fine. It’s a good thing that Yahoo! isn’t afraid to fail, because the introduction of Kickstart could very well be their third.

This post is in response to the article found at http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/005867.html