The Information is starting a social network for subscribers

Tech news site The Information is launching a social network for its subscribers, reports Sara Fischer of Axios.

Fischer reports, “The new networking system, which rolls out this week, will include three core features:

User profiles: Subscribers will be able to opt in to share fuller information about themselves, including whether they are interested in connecting about fundraising, potential recruiting outreach, and niche areas of interest. Subscribers can also opt in to send and receive direct messages from others in the network.
A directory: A new index of profiles will make it easier for subscribers to search for peers to connect with based on location, occupation, etc.
A forum: Subscribers will have access to a news feed-like page where they can post interesting articles (including those beyond The Information’s work) or thoughts that can be up- or down-ranked and commented on. The feed allows users to filter for the most recent or most-discussed posts.

“Be smart: These new features are meant to add more value to the news site’s subscriber base, as opposed to driving meaningful revenue themselves. In the future, however, the Information could find opportunities to directly monetize them, Lessin said.”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.