i am building lovelisti, a social network around the things we love
A small experiment in building a social network around shared tastes instead of endless posts.
the problem
Most social networks are organised around what people publish.
You follow someone because they post photos, videos, opinions or links. You scroll through their content and hope you eventually discover something you care about too.
But there is a simpler question I often want to ask:
What does this person love?
Which books do they read? Which films do they watch? Which places, artists, games, ideas or restaurants would they recommend?
Two people can love the same things and never find each other. Lovelisti starts from that shared point instead.
the idea
Lovelisti lets people create a public list of the things they love.
Every love can become a meeting point. You add a book. Someone else adds the same book. You discover their profile, their other loves, their photos and comments — or simply start a conversation.
The centre of the product is not a post. It is a shared love.
the first version
The first version is deliberately small. You can:
- add the things you love;
- discover people who love the same things;
- browse public profiles;
- see photos and comments;
- follow people;
- start a conversation from a shared love;
- search for a love or a person;
- save comments for later.
I do not want to start by building an enormous social network. First, I want to answer one simple question:
Is a shared interest enough to make someone curious about another person?
what is working already
The product is starting to form around one clear idea:
loves matter more than posts.
The home page starts with a simple question: what do you love? Public search lets people explore without creating an account first.
A profile shows what a person cares about instead of only showing a short biography. A conversation can begin naturally from something both people already have in common.
what is not working yet
There are still many open questions:
- How do I make someone want to add a second love after their first?
- How do I keep a new member from arriving on an empty platform?
- How do I recommend interesting people without building an aggressive algorithm?
- How do I know whether a conversation really started because of a shared love?
- How do I help someone understand what to do next?
- How do I give people a reason to return a few days later?
A social network is difficult because it is not enough for the software to work. People also need a reason to come back.
the first numbers
I am going to track a few simple numbers:
- registered users;
- loves added;
- average loves per person;
- people who return after seven days;
- profiles viewed;
- conversations started;
- people who add a second love.
I do not want to measure traffic alone. A spike in visits is easy to create. What matters is whether Lovelisti creates enough curiosity for someone to return and continue their list.
what i am building next
The next step is to watch the first users and build only what genuinely helps them.
I expect to work on better love discovery, people recommendations, a clearer first experience, suggestions for empty lists, profile and love sharing, and more natural ways to start conversations.
But I want to avoid adding features simply because they are common on other social networks. Lovelisti does not need to copy every existing mechanism. It needs to find its own rhythm.
building in public
This article is the beginning of a public log of the project: the decisions, the numbers, the mistakes and the next steps.
I am inspired by indie founders such as Marc Lou, who turn the process of building into an honest, ongoing conversation. I am also borrowing the spirit of Product Hunt’s maker community: show the work, invite people in and listen carefully.
your turn
If you want to help, open Lovelisti and add five things you love.
It can be a film, a book, a restaurant, a game, an artist, a city, a brand or an idea — anything that matters to you.
Then tell me:
What is missing after you add your first five loves?
Do you want to discover people, recommendations, similar lists or conversations? Your answers will shape what I build next.
send me your feedback, or start by adding your five loves.
I will share the next update here, with the real numbers and the next thing I learn.