*social* jobs

[Michael Butash]

I saw this, and thought the concept was intriguing:

https://silp.com/

Then I realized it was a facebook thing and promptly disregarded it as 
more heresy/fodder.  Last thing I see facebook as is something 
professional, and as a non-fb user, annoys me of yet another walled garden.

That said, the notion of silp was cool, but I already somewhat use 
linkedin this way, or simply ping via email/im/other people I know if I 
get a decent job offering somewhere that might be cool.  G+ also has 
some potential in this with job-centric info, but maybe fb does this too 
<shudders>.

One thing I've often thought missing was an effective job rating method 
that wouldn't get you or the site owner sued by a given company. 
Employers would love to have people say "it's a great place to work!", 
but not so much if people are saying "it's a sweatshop, run away!" or 
"more people quit than are hired monthly".  A one-star job rating would 
likely not bode well for their recruiting efforts.  Sadly however, it 
would save a lot of grief if people knew what they were really getting 
into with a new job beyond just their duties.

This is where I see the social aspect being powerful.  Opinion exchange 
is almost entirely a word-of-mouth thing still, as no one wants the 
badmouthing getting back to their employers or potentials for fear of 
repercussion, but happens none the less.  It often needs said, if 
nothing else to warn people you actually like about a bad workplace.  I 
see it as something of a needed public service, but it's obviously 
subjective information - some level of reputation is necessary lest it 
devolve to a rumour mongering.  Allowing for reputation-based 
information exchange while obfuscating the results (with some 
prerequisite privacy) to provide feedback about a potential employee 
seems would be the key.

Back circa 2000, there was FuckedCompany.com that did just that with 
forums.  It was actually pretty decent for seeing what was up with 
companies/jobs around the bay area at the time, but eventually lawyers 
got involved as the badmouthing started getting enterprises riled up 
with confidentiality breaches and/or purported slandering.  Most was 
honest info from honest people, but (imho) crappy companies didn't like 
the honesty.  Their death came in trying to charge for it (premium 
access to juicy new bits) and legal attacks for them, but for a time, it 
was good and useful, despite the dubious-but-apt name.

This was also back before mainstream America still knew what the 
internet was, so subpoenas were still hard to come by and justify to 
trace an IP to an ISP.  Now with corporate lawyers having almost a 
direct api to manipulate law-enforcement and isp's that _do_ offer an 
api for your info, I think it would last about a new york minute these 
days before legal devouring ensues.  That doesn't mean it isn't any less 
necessary.

Anyone seen something like this ever actually work?  Anyone else think 
this is something lacking from the job market?  I've long considered 
resurrecting FC for the role, but maybe something like this on tor 
darknet would be better suited to reality.  ;)

-mb