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> The problem is the negative stigma of hunting for friends. That makes it difficult to get people to want to signup. I think it'd be interesting to research w
by hasenj 14y ago
> The problem is the negative stigma of hunting for friends. That makes it difficult to get people to want to signup.
I think it'd be interesting to research why that is and trying to come up with some solutions. (This problem is also present in dating sites).
I think meetup.com's approach avoids this problem because you're not explicitly "fishing" for friends.
- resu_nimda 14y agoAgreed. I strongly feel the stigma against dating sites, and still refuse to use them, but Meetup is a great resource I don't even think twice about using. I just can't get over the thought of "well, I can't do it in real life, so let's take the easy way and throw it up on the internet and see what sticks." The funny thing is, relying on chance to put you in the same room with the right person, let alone identify and connect with them, is really inefficient. Current dating sites notwithstanding, the internet has a huge potential to optimize this process. And yet, it just feels so wrong. You are trying to start an intimate relationship through such a clinical and impersonal interface, and the vision of someone sitting there browsing through hundreds of candidates "asynchronously" at your leisure is unsettling to me.
- Mz 14y agoI think the "stigma" in both cases comes from having an agenda for someone you have not yet even met. I think it is a case of "the key is the safe"/"you can't get there from here." But I am not the target audience/market for something like this. I don't join stuff like dating sites.