WhyGoSolo is a new social network focused on
making "spontaneous offline connections". While most social networks
focus on virtually representing friendships from the physical world,
WhyGoSolo is attempting to do the opposite: making the transition from
online to in-person connections.
How It Started
In February of 2007, WhyGoSolo founder Ann Bernard was sitting in a
Chipotle restaurant contemplating the end of her first venture- a
coaching company - since leaving the Marine Corps. In her own words:
It was a difficult thing for me to do and a difficult time. I felt like a failure. I felt empty, tired and disappointed. I felt like I was letting a lot of people down... including myself.
.....I had invested all of my time, energy and money into to the Coaching Agency including an investment from a friend. I was basically broke and definitely depressed. I was trying really hard to see the light, to understand why this was happening and what I was suppose to do next. I sat there, eating my chicken burrito bowl (yum,yum), while looking around, and was hit by an idea for a new venture.
As she looked around at other diners, she noticed that there were many others sitting alone. What if it were as easy to connect with people offline as it is on social media sites? It is incredibly easy to talk with people we do not know online. I wouldn't think twice about talking with a complete stranger on Twitter, but approaching someone in a restaurant and saying "Hey, I noticed you were sitting here by yourself too. Let's eat together" would be ridiculous.
WhyGoSolo has a new approach to the problem of connecting people looking for activity partners. Through WhyGoSolo.com's toolset, they offer users a way to meet people online with shared common interests, and set up one-on-one or small group activities in the real world.
How It Works
Once registered, users can post event listings:
The event listings are categorized in a searchable database, and other interested WhyGoSolo members can sign up to participate through a mechanism called a "handshake."
One interesting feature of WhyGoSolo is the "flakeout" feature, a reputation system not unlike eBay's seller ratings. If someone doesn't show up for an event, they can be flagged as a flakeout, giving them negative reputation points, making other users less likely to agree to meet them.
Who It Is Good For
WhyGoSolo is particularly suited for the outgoing traveler. If you are a frequent business traveler who hates being alone, this service would be incredibly useful. People new to a city would also benefit from using WhyGoSolo.
With enough users, WhyGoSolo would be useful to the same demographic served by meetup.com and upcoming.org.
Competitors
Though WhyGoSolo is more focused on one-on-one interactions than large groups (like meetup.com), there are some other players in the activity partner space:
- wannago.com- An event-centered network, connecting people attending things like concerts and sporting events
- rabble- A mobile social network that allows members to find others with similar interests by proximity
- Dodgeball-Google's mobile/proximity based social network (though dodgeball is much more focused on connecting you with people you already know)
- CraigsList- Not necessarily a social network, but CraigsList offers an Activity Partner section in each city.
- Lifeknot- A network connecting people based on 1,290 activity categories
What's Next
WhyGoSolo is in alpha currently, as their beta release will coincide with the introduction of a mobile component. Once the mobile aspect is integrated, WhyGoSolo will allow users to instantly find an activity partner (provided the userbase is large and active enough).
WhyGoSolo is also rolling out Twitter integration, allowing members to broadcast activity invites to their twitter followers.
Company Snapshot
Founded: 2007
Location: Springfield, VA
Founder/CEO: Ann Bernard
CTO/COO: D. Keith Casey, Jr.
Funding: Self-funded
Site: http://www.WhyGoSolo.com
Blog: http://whygosolo.com/blog/aboutus
Twitter: http://twitter.com/whygosolo
Nathan Burke is the Web Community Evangelist for Boston area tech startup matchmine. He also co-authors Blogstring.com.
Thanks for the mention, it's much appreciated.
Actually, one of the *biggest* differences between us and Craigslist are the profiles. When you respond/hear from someone on Craigslist, you have no clue who they are, what they have done in the past, etc. On our site, the profile and the Flake out score give you a bit more information on who they are, what they've shown an interest in in the past, and if they show up. While it's not perfect safety (nothing is), it's 100x better than the alternatives.
And thanks for mentioning me in there. It's nice not to be chopped liver all the time. ;)