Launching today, IslandX is a new social networking site for people looking to live, work or study abroad. Making an international move can be a bit daunting, so the site hopes to connect and reassure users with the help of specific information.
IslandX was developed to help ease the process of moving far away; the company did its research to identify the issues and it seems that it has an audience already waiting for this type of support.
According to the International Office for Migration (IOM), over 10 million people migrate each year and the office predicts that this figure will reach 400 million by 2050. So there’s certainly a starting point for this type of network.
Founder Marius Hjelset says that the growing numbers of people working abroad helped to spur on development of the site, “International migration is a hugely significant social phenomenon and a reality of globalisation. Migration has increased by nearly 38 per cent globally over the last 20 years, and this trend is set to continue. Our network will help the millions of people who want to take their first steps towards an international lifestyle.”
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Though most people keep in touch with friends and family over existing social networks like Facebook or Twitter, it’s interesting to see a social network emerge with a specific use case in mind. Maybe more focused networks like this will start to etch away at the dominance of the leaders.
Finding information for a move usually starts with a search engine and many rounds of research for each aspect of a move. IslandX hopes to aggregate those queries in one place to help simplify the process.
Making the process social as well as including a knowledge base means that the information should be more applicable to a particular move and hopefully up to date. There’s a Q&A format to connect people with the relevant experience too, which might lead to finding a community of people before a move.
Based in London and with connections across the world, the IslandX team is of international stock, so they know about living and working abroad. The site’s beta test appears to have done well already, attracting members from almost every continent and ambassadors in London, Toronto, Cape Town, Boston, Sydney, Istanbul and Berlin.
The company also has an app for iOS in the works. It’s still going through the Apple approval process, but should be ready to rock soon enough and no doubt there will be updates on site to let everyone know.
It will be interesting to see how the network grows and evolves. With increasing global movement and more people on the move assured by their connection to home via the Web, this site might have cracked a good way to support migration and prepare those ready to head to lands afar.
➤ IslandX
Image Credit: ToastyKen
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