Last week I got a couple of invitations to join yet another social networking site. As many of you may be aware, I am a huge fan of LinkedIn, and Plaxo. This one, Doostang, promises to be by invitation only (thereby increasing the trust level), and focused on jobs and job hunters. Because Iotum needs developers, testers, and an Engineering VP, I decided to give it a shot.
I have a good rolodex. I dutifully loaded my plaxo address book into it, and then sent out invitations to the 2300 or so folks in my address book to invite them to join me also.
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The website crashed during the mailing process. I had no idea whether or not it had actually succeeded. At least some of the invitations must have gone out, however, because…
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Bounce messages started arriving. Hundreds. Doostang has made it onto the spamcop blacklist, and sites that use spamcop are rejecting mails from them.
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And finally… mails that do arrive are buggy. My friend Bob Frankston mailed me this code fragment after attempting to sign up:
Microsoft VBScript runtime error ’800a000d’
Type mismatch
/sign_upfaild.asp, line 45
I’m all in favor of the Web 2.0 mantra of ship early, and ship often. But please make sure the darn thing is at least minimally tested before you ship…
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Alec,
I got your invitation, so mine was processed as per your blog entry. I'm giving a whirl to DS today as well. Jobs on this site are very interesting though!
JP
Had a chat with Pavel, the president on my experience. Details here : http://jphebert.name/jpblog/?p=176
I agree there are problems with the system, but as a Harvard MBA who is going to graduate in a few months, I am using Doostang more than any other tool I have at my disposal. The quality of their jobs is incomparable to anyone/where else, from finding a position at many hedge funds to a Director of Sales for an MTV in Europe, to Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts and even internships for my classmates who are MBA 2007. Let's stop the negative and start helping them, at least for the next few weeks while I use Doostang to find a job!
Alec and friends,
I am a long time reader of the blog (but first time poster) and was hoping that one of you could invite me to Doostang. My email address is nducoff@hotmail.com – thanks!
Done!
Could someone please send me an invite to doostang? I have heard great things about it and would like to get signed up but don't seem to know anyone who is a member. My email is mattrosen96@gmail.com
Thank you
Hi Alec,
Can you please send me an invitation to Doostang? I have heard great things about it. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks,
Joe
Hi can someone invite me to doostang?
Hi,
The site looks interesting…can anyone send me an invite at cahoya2000@hotmail.com? I'd like to check it out more, but I don't know anyone on it.
Thanks!
Hi Alec and friends,
Could someone please send me an invitation to doostang? I am an actuarial analyst and would like to seek for relevant positions thru this highly-rated site. My email address is cyzwong@gmail.com – thanks
HI, looks like Doostang would be a added benefit to me. Can someone sign me up?
Thanks
Not wanting to be, but it looks like I am, just another reader wondering if someone (Alec?) could be so kind as to send a Doostang invite my way. Thanks! mattpersons@hotmail.com
You should have invites in the mail. Good luck in your job hunting.
Could you be kind and send me an invite to doostang.Thanks! reebamathen@gmail.com
Can any please invite me to doostang. My email id is mailprashi@gmail.com
Thanks in advance.
Hi Alec,
If you have the time could you send me an invite to doorstang please, my emal is a_d_forrest@hotmail.com
Thanks!
Can anyone please invite me to Doostang. I’ll really appreicate it and thanks.
sample_2007@hotmail.com
Everyone who has posted on this page will NOT get invited. Just because of the age of aquariums. Did the russians stopped when the germans bombed pearl harbor? Ick been iene Net!
Now sit down, shut up, and hold on — to hope, hope and faith, weekdays at 6:30 on channel 23 WRNA!
Can anyone please sent me an invite to Doostang.com
Thank you for all your help
email: ys.resources@yahoo.com
can some one please send me an invite to Doostang.com too?
thanks
BIGBANG642001@hotmail.com
could someone please send me an invite to Doostang? cool_splash1@yahoo.com
Alec,
I am a long time reader but I have never posted before. I was interested to see (like the many above) if you or anyone could send me an invite to DooStang. My e-mail address is drew.cesario@gmail.com. I know you don't recommend it, but I think that I can't afford to shut any door of communication that presents itself. Have a good one.
-D
Give it a shot. I've just been looking at it a little more today. Wrote the review quite a while ago, obviously, but it looks much better now.
Could someone please send me an invite to doostang? I have heard great things about it and would like to get signed up but don’t seem to know anyone who is a member. My email is contactyonnow@gmail.com
thanks, yon
Alec,
I recently got booted off of DooStang because I invited too many people at once. I know this may sound absurd, but not only will it not recognize my username, but Doostang is not recognizing my e-mail address as well. As ridiculous as this sounds, I was interested to see if you could send me another invitation. Although DooStang has a long way to go, as far as technical support of the website, I think it severs a great service for communication. drew.cesario@gmail.com
Thanks,
Drew
I want to post an opening for a Customer Experience position at my company (a leading commercial mortgage lender), but I just found out that I have to be invited in order to post it on DooStang. If anyone is interested in inviting me so that I can start posting our positions I would be very grateful! My personal email is darinphillips@yahoo.com, which is best for the invite to any social networking site. I do have a recent MBA grad starting a rotation on my team late next week, but I would like to find some additional talent and bring them into our Coral Gables office as well.
Hi Alec,
I do not know u, but I would like to ask u to invite me to Doostang too.
thx kEndE
Hi Alec – Can I get an invite, as well? I’d greatly appreciate it!
Thanks in advance!
~Reshma
rchaudhuri@gmail.com
Could someone please send me an invite to doostang? I have heard great things about it and would like to get signed up but don’t seem to know anyone who is a member. My email is
axf.zheng@gmail.com
thanks, austin
Hi Alec:
Read a recent review of the site in businessweek… am quite curious to check the site out for myself.. more so, because i have ur opinion which says do-not-yet, as against the business-week article which puts a highly-recommended tag to it…
would really appreciate if you could send an invite my way..one to check it out..and two, to check some interesting jobs out..
thanks in advance..
whould like an invite to doostang
Hi,
Can you please send me an invitation ?
I will greatly appreciate your help….
Thnx !!
I would like to join doostang.com
epoore@flagler.edu
Hi fellows !
Could anyone please send me an invite to DS ?
I appreciate, thanks!
J.
… please send invite to:
pericopalotes75@latinmail.com
thanx again
Hello, I just found out about Doostang. Trying to get my career moving in the right direction, can you please send me an invite to Habibmirali@gmail.com , Thanks again.
Could anyone please send me an invite to DS ?
scottvanzee@gmail.com
hey mate, I was wondering if you could kindly send me an invitation to Doostang, thanks a ton.
ghy2004cnuk@yahoo.co.uk
I'd like an invitation to Doostang, please. Thanks
Could someone please send me an invite as well?
slezakm2000@yahoo.com
thanks.
I got an invitation from a name I don't even recognize! A gmail search shows nothing received from them ever before. That could be the source of the spamcop problem?
Also, their Wikipedia entry reads like a corporate press release. Could people who have experience as users of the site do some work there, so newcomers have some objective information to judge the site by?
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=…
Please send invitation to Doostang carlbro@kahovka.net
Can someone send me and invite to Doostang – ju6034@yahoo.com. I greatly appreciate it.
I'm jumping on the bandwagon and asking for an invite to Doostang as well. Thanks!
Oops…can't send an invite without this….timem1@gmail.com
Many thanks!
Hi could anyone send me an invitation please?
jamiehaozhou@gmail.com
Thanks!
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone can send me an invitation. I am interested in investment banking and consulting.
wavelink12@hotmail.com
Hi Alec,
Could you ask you to send me an invite to Doostang at liana.burtsava@gmail.com?
Many thanks!
please invite me to doostang…greatly appreciated!
Jonathan
Can you please send me an invite? Thank you.
Will you please invite me to doostang? rsweeney@gmail.com
Could you please invire me to "Doostang" as well?
Thank you in advance..
directiveway@yahoo.com
Will you please provide me with an invite? Anthony.Guisti@gmail.com
Thank you
May I get an invitation as well ?
Many thanks in advance !
matkps@gmail.com
