An experts club, a book market, a job board — and why we built them

A software company does not need a book market. We didn't either — until we noticed the people around us passing technical books between scattered group chats, with nowhere trustworthy to do it.

This is about four tools that exist for that sort of reason.

1. The experts club

The experts club is a directory: specialisms, languages, experience and a way to get in touch. Some of the people listed take consultations; others are simply introduced.

Why a plain directory? Because most people who need a specialism have no idea where to start and fall back on word of mouth. A visible list beats an invisible network.

If you want a consultation, ask for one and tell us a few windows when you are free — a day, and a part of that day. Then we call you. That is deliberate: picking a slot out of a stranger's busy calendar is work, while saying "Tuesday afternoons suit me" is easy.

2. The book market

The book market is for buying and selling books — new or second-hand — with an asking price and a picture of the cover.

Three decisions in its design are worth stating:

• Every listing is reviewed before it appears. Your listing does not go live instantly, and that is on purpose: a list that publishes anything is a list nobody trusts.
• A cover photograph is required. Describing a book as "good condition" without one asks a buyer to trust an adjective.
• A listing posted by the company itself is labelled. You should know whether you are dealing with a person or with us.

There is no online payment yet, and we would rather say so plainly: the market is for finding and seeing, and the two parties arrange the rest.

3. The job board

Job listings — with one difference: every listing and every employer is identity-verified.

For someone looking for work, that means a listing that will not waste their time. For an employer, it means not competing with fake adverts. A board where anyone can post anything is close to worthless for the person reading it.

4. Freelance projects

The project board is where clients describe work and freelancers bid. The same rule holds: projects are reviewed, and both sides are verified.

If you work freelance, we have also written a guide to freelance income.

The thread running through all four

All four share two things: review before publication, and verification before participation.

That slows things down and costs us something. But the alternative — a platform where anything appears — is one we have all seen before, and we know where it ends.

Want to take part?

• Have books? List them on the book market.
• Hiring? Post on the job board.
• Want to work with us as a volunteer or intern? See this page.
• Are you a specialist who belongs in the club? Tell us from the contact page.

Common questions about these sections

Do these sections cost anything?

No. Listing a book, a job or a project is free.

Why doesn't my listing appear immediately?

Because it is reviewed first. That is exactly what makes the other listings worth reading.

Why do I have to verify my identity to post?

So that whoever deals with you knows who you are. The rule is the same for everybody.

How does a consultation request work?

You tell us a few windows when you are available and we call you. There is no calendar to pick from and no exact minute to book.

Do these sections have tracking codes too?

Yes. A consultation request has a tracking code, and you can see its status from the tracking page.