Input needed: Keep the job board…?

I’ve run the Silicon Florist job board — off and on — throughout the last decade or so of the Silicon Florist. There are times where it’s jampacked with open roles. And then there are times like the last year when there is little to no activity at all. Given that it costs several hundred dollars a month to support the platform powering the job board, I’m obligated to ask: Do we need the Silicon Florist job board or is it a solved problem?

Honestly, I’ve been asking this question — and continuing to spend money on it — for awhile.

For context, let me give you a brief history of the Silicon Florist job board: In 2007, there wasn’t one. Then people kept asking for one so I launched a janky ass one. It was free. People used it for a bit. Then it died off. So I killed it. Then people started asking for it again. So I started another janky ass one. Then folks were using it. A lot. So I invested in a better-than-free solution. Then a way-more-expensive-than-free solution. And for the past decade or so, things have been going just fine. The job board broke even, with the paid postings covering the costs of the platform. Every week the newsletter featured a number of interesting jobs. Feedback was amazing. Candidates were happy. Employers were psyched. And all was well in the Silicon Florist corner of the Internet.

Then the pandemic hit. And the job board changed a bit. Jobs were still being posted. Candidates were still finding gigs. But most of the jobs shifted from “local” to “remote.” And yet, there were still enough posts, here and there, to make the job board a loss leader. Not breakeven. Yet still worth maintaining. For the community. Because there was activity.

Then stuff started to slow down, even more. And slow down further. And then, finally, coming to a grinding halt. With no posts. No candidates. Nada.

And so the job board ceased being a loss leader and became a full-on loss. Continuing to dig a financial hole, week after week. I honestly can’t tell you the last time someone posted a job. Even a short-term gig. (I just looked. It was January 2023. So it’s been a full quarter since any job has been posted.)

There’s no right answer here. But there are some answers that won’t carry a lot of weight. No, I’m not interested in exploring cheaper/other options. No, I’m not really interested in price-testing what the market will bear, because it always fluctuates. No, I’m not interested in spending a lot of time and energy testing product market fit.

So we’re basically in “go/no go” territory.

If this resource is breakeven or a slight loss, I’m cool keeping it going. It’s never been a moneymaker. It’s just been a resource. So here’s how I’m proposing we proceed:

1. If you think there is still a need for a startup focused job board in Portland, then please post a job or purchase the option to post a job at a later date; or…
2. If you think the prices are too high, please consider grabbing a “short-term job posting”; or…
3. Do nothing.

You’re also welcome to comment or reply on social, but honestly, action is more convincing that arguments at this point. Please forgive my, “put your money where your mouth is” stance, but that’s kind of where we are at this point.

If we wind up with some jobs to share in the next week or two, I’ll keep eating the cost for the benefit of the community. If there’s no activity before the end of January, I’ll go ahead and shut it down.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.