7:1 "Doostang, where talent lives"

Over the summer, I ran into a family friend’s daughter who recently graduated from Stanford University. We started talking about her new job and I told her about my difficulties in finding a summer internship in our area of expertise. She mentioned that she would be able to help get me “into the system” if I sent her my resume. I immediately sent her my information only to find out that her department would not be taking on any interns in summer 2008. I was disappointed, but I understood that there wasn’t much she could do about it. I expected not to hear from her henceforth since we are weakly tied (rare contact) and have never kept in touch. She, however, completely related to my hardships in job searching with constant disappointment/rejection, so every few weeks she emailed me updates (internships in her company in other locations, etc.) and tips. That’s when she sent me an invitation to join Doostang.

Doostang is an online community site primarily used for job search and job posts in which people can join only if invited by other members. The basis of the invitation-only requirement is so that members of the group are trusted by and linked to at least one other member to ensure better “quality” in the job market - this is advantageous to employers and potential employees. Once you create your profile, you can join groups and forums that range from strictly recruiting to shared interests and hobbies. Doostang would be considered a Gemeinschaft because it is based on strong interpersonal ties, shared focus of career networking, and common language and identity. In this Utopic community, people are engaged intellectually and are all connected. In general, the users share a common ground of job pursuit. Within the common ground are subgroups formed from more specific interests of major, career, and schools. This allows for more attraction to form between members since there will be a greater proportion of things in common. Since most people here are weakly tied by alumni and friends, users will access the variety and uniqueness of resources for work and/or leisure (i.e. – interview tips or vacation spots.) These resources give the Doostang community added value in social capital because members have an inherent trust in each other and depend on the network to manage behaviors and expectations.

The nature of this group utilizes CMC mechanisms, otherwise, it would not be able to exist offline as such a large group with so many resources. Doostang thrives mostly in CMC, where the “action” occurs – applying, posting, replying, etc. Thus, besides knowing the people who are your friends, there is not a strong offline/online synergy. However, some members meet up ftf for interview tips, or if they are looking for company while on business travel. Also, in the case that a user receives a job from the site, they may form a stronger tie with the member who posted as they see each other in the workplace.

The success of Doostang relies on reciprocity because if people are not willing to share their experience then there is no gain in joining the site. According to Haythornthwaite, the community shows reciprocity because members here give help without requiring any payback. Users will reply to messages or forums regarding advice on resumes or even where to find classes in a shared hobby.

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