Two old words, both still legible, describing exactly what this is.
kith
Old English · rhymes with myth
The people you know: your friends, neighbours and acquaintances. It survives today in
the phrase kith and kin, where the two halves mean different things: kin are the people
you’re related to, kith are the people you’ve actually come to know. The root is
cūþ, meaning “known,” the same root that gives us
uncouth, which once meant simply “unknown.”
–by
Old Norse · a settlement
The word the north of England was built on: Whitby, Selby, Grimsby, Ashby. A by was
a place where people settled together and knew their neighbours by name.
Kithby: the place where the people you know are.
Not a feed of strangers, not a place to focus on follower count. Kithby is somewhere the people already know each other to help each other and where someone put their name behind you to get you in.
The Problem
What we noticed
We built this because we got tired of the alternatives. Five things, specifically.
They stopped being about networking and have become sales channels.
Most users are using AI to generate content.
The feeds are flooded with company promotions and advertising.
They are more social media than networking.
Politics and negativity are pervasive.
The big platforms became marketing channels: corporate
announcements, brand campaigns, thought leadership written by somebody in marketing
and signed by an executive. Our feeds became billboards, so we did something about it.
Meanwhile the things that actually help a career went somewhere else: advice from
someone who has done the job, an honest referral, a mentor who picks up the phone,
a straight answer about what a company is really like. That happens over coffee and
in group chats and through introductions, not on the platforms built for it.
So we built the place for that instead. Your career, your expertise, your own words.
We are not competing with anyone on scale and we are not trying to. We would
rather be the place where people actually know each other.
How It Works
A few things we do differently
Write it yourself
Every post and message has to be your own words. We actively detect AI-generated content and we don't let it slide.
Your job search stays private
If you mark yourself as open to opportunities you choose who knows: people who are hiring, or your whole network once you have left a role. Your current employer never sees it either way.
No politics and no trolling
This is a professional space. We don't care which way you lean politically and if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. Keep it out of your posts or we'll remove it.
Connections mean something
There's no follower count and nothing to go viral. If you're connecting with someone, it's because you want to know them or there is real meaning, not because an algorithm suggested it.
Community Charter
These are not fine print. They are the rules we enforce, and by joining you
are agreeing to all of them.
Be Kind
It is ok to disagree with ideas and to push back professionally. This is what conversation is however we don't believe trolling, pile-ons, or bickering lead to a healthy and productive community. If a thread is getting heated, take it to a DM or a phone call and if you aren't willing to have this call then don't comment. We're all professionals here.
Write it yourself
Every post is typed in. No AI drafts, no copy-paste jobs, and no content that sounds like it came from a press release. You are allowed to say what you think but keep it professional. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, rethink it.
Real connections
The community is not built to be a follower count contest. Connections here mean something related to a job lead, a referral, a mentor, a collaborator, a client. Reach out with a purpose. There should be a valid reason why you are connecting with them.
Be real
Fake profiles and inflated credentials get removed immediately, no second chances. What someone shares with you in a DM stays in the DM.
Keep it constructive
Share what you know. Talk about your work, your career, and things you've learned. This isn't personal social media, so skip the polls, the games, your last conference attendance, and the play-by-play of your last flight. No politics, no culture war, and no partisan content. This community welcomes people from every background and we want to keep it that way.
People, not companies
Post about your work, your expertise, your career wins and lessons learned, but do not use this space to promote a business, push products, or run campaigns. It's ok to be proud of work your company did, but it's not about selling.
How it's enforced
First warningIt appears at the top of your next page, names the rule and the post, and stays on your account once you acknowledge it.
Second warningYour final notice, logged the same way. The next one locks the account.
Third warningYour account is locked. If you think it was a mistake, you can ask for a review.
Who This Is For
Built for working professionals
Professionals
Build a profile that sounds like you. Share what you know. Find your next role without the circus.
Recruiters
Find people who are genuinely looking. Match based on what they've told you they want, not keyword guesses.
Hiring Managers
Post the role. Talk to real people who meet your criteria. Hire someone you had a real conversation with.
Kithby is independent and privately operated. We do NOT sell your data. See a Live Preview