I do use Xing, but I refuse to pay for it. I don’t like their business practices, and I think their service is overpriced. In fact, I only use it to announce events of the Düsseldorf Java User Group. I used linkedIn in America, and I liked it much better and the free / paid for services much more balanced. Furthermore, I wouldn’t mind using an ad-supported service that is cheaper / free instead. Am I alone? Obviously not: The Financial Times points out that only 8.1% of the users pay.
I do use Xing, but I refuse to pay for it. I don’t like their business practices, and I think their service is overpriced. In fact, I only use it to announce events of the Düsseldorf Java User Group. I used linkedIn in America, and I liked it much better and the free / paid […]
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3 responses to “What is wrong with Xing?”
What is it about their business practices you don’t like?
I find LinkedIn utterly useless, and will take a moderately-priced, ad-free service any day.
Hello Stefan,
Re Xing: Basically, I don’t like their business model. For one, it feels overpriced: I have no problem paying EUR 72 a year if I get appropriate value, but compared with other services, it feels overpriced. Second, I believe that this pricing model keeps a lot of valuable users inactive, which decreases the value of the network. As a free member the service is almost useless.
Re LinkedIn: I used it extensively several years ago in the states, and as far as I know, they still have roughly four times as many users than Xing. But I have to admit that I didn’t use it much lately. Still, you can do much more with their free account, and they have multiple payed-for levels.
But ultimately, the value from a service like this comes from the number and quality of members. Xing wins for Germany, but linkedIn wins for the US, and probably worldwide, too.
A while back I criticized the Xing business model and the fact that the users – the main assets of the networked – are charged a significant fee. It’s not that I cannot afford it, it’s more about the fact that they need users as much, if not more than t