It is likely a scary website for non-IT people. Articles riddled in code and strange symbols that often resemble hieroglyphics. ITNEXT.io, part of LINKIT, is chock-full of technical articles, but for most people, the desire to read them fades fairly quickly. The average person simply does not enjoy ploughing through fields of code and deciphering terminology that read like scrabble.
A Goldmine for IT people
That being said, for IT people ITNEXT is a potential goldmine of valuable knowledge and insights. Which is precisely the reason LINKIT founded ITNEXT. After a modest start in 2016/2017, the knowledge platform is now very successful attracting 60,000 unique visitors per day. In many cases, this is due to Kiarash Irandoust, who set up the platform from the ground up.
The beginning
“When I was asked for this position, I honestly had my doubts about accepting it,” says Kiarash. “ITNEXT was nothing more than an idea and nobody really had a clear-cut plan of what it should look like. We initially set up ITNEXT as a page of the LINKIT website. I wrote many articles myself, from my background as a software engineer. ”
New strategy
“We changed course in 2017. We moved ITNEXT to Medium to increase its reach and we adjusted the strategy. I stopped writing myself and left that to the community of other IT professionals in the future. In addition, I let go of the minimum number of articles that had to be posted and much more focused on quality. Every piece posted on ITNEXT contains unique content that you cannot find anywhere on the internet. That is what makes it a strong brand. ”
“In addition, we have also expanded the ITNEXT brand by organizing monthly meetups, as well as an annual summit that we have sold out on every occasion.”
Mr. ITNEXT
It is precisely the focus on unique quality that makes managing ITNEXT a challenging job for Kiarash. “Whether I am ITNEXT myself? Shh, don’t tell anyone! ”
This of course requires a brief explanation. “The first years, and sometimes still, I am sometimes working 24 hours a day with ITNEXT. It happens I jump out of bed at midnight to check new submissions. In this world you have to be quick to get the best content. Many authors offer their writing to multiple platforms at the same time and it is often first come first served. ”
With the growth of the platform, Kiarash has received help from colleague Yves Sinkgraven, which gives him more sleep and the chance to enjoy a weekend now and then. Nevertheless, ITNEXT is far from letting go of him. “In that respect I am a real perfectionist” and perhaps that is also the real key behind the success of ITNEXT.
Want to know more? Visit the website: www.ITNEXT.io
