Many online forums lack a way for users to easily and privately share contact information with peers, making it harder to form meaningful connections, collaborate on projects, or seek mentorship. While these platforms facilitate public discussions, the inability to transition conversations to private channels safely creates a gap—especially in professional, academic, or hobbyist communities where networking is key.

How It Could Work: A Privacy-First Networking Layer

One way to address this gap could be by creating a lightweight tool—such as a browser extension—that integrates seamlessly into existing forums. This tool might offer:

• Opt-in contact sharing, where users selectively share email, LinkedIn, or other profiles only with specific users (e.g., those they’ve interacted with frequently).
• Thread-based connection requests, allowing users to propose continuing a discussion privately with context (e.g., "Let’s collaborate on this research—here’s my email").
• Granular privacy controls, such as limiting visibility to users who meet certain criteria (e.g., minimum engagement level).

The tool would overlay existing forums without requiring changes to their infrastructure, focusing first on popular platforms like Discourse before expanding. Users could receive notifications for connection requests, reducing missed opportunities while keeping interactions organized.

Why This Could Succeed

Unlike standalone networking tools (e.g., LinkedIn InMail), this approach would keep conversations tied to the forum context, lowering friction. Unlike generic private messaging plugins, it would focus on structured networking rather than unstructured chat. Initial testing could start with a minimal extension offering basic contact-sharing features, then evolve based on user feedback.

For monetization, a freemium model could support advanced features like connection analytics, while forum owners might pay to white-label the tool for their communities. The key advantage? Users wouldn’t need to leave their favorite forums to build deeper connections—they could network where they already engage.