I want to make new friends. Let's have a read of the blurb: >GROOOVY LETS YOU MEET >NEW FRIENDS COMFORTABLY >AT YOUR OWN PACE. That's exactly what I need; nice and gentle and not scary. I am your target users. I'm not looking to date or hook up; I'm not sketchy or skeezy. So, who are these people? Where do they come from? What's the "pool of people"? >Join or create customized >events. Chat with the people you'll mee…
So, who are these people? Where do they come from? What's the "pool of people"?
These will be people around your local area that likewise have an interest in meeting up.
Wait, what? I have no idea who these other people are. Are they all just randoms that sign up to your service? How do I know they're not crazy axe-murderers? Are they taken from Facebook or some such? Do we pay to join? Do we pay to send messages? Let's say I set up and event: Do I just ping people and ask if they want to go? Or does my event get listed and other people say they'd like to turn up? What happens if Bob (a made up name) has been to an event and I HATE HIM? Can I not let him see events I create? Can I filter events Bob goes to?
We have no selection criteria when it comes to signing up for the service. Just like many of the public events you might attend such as concerts, HN meetups, bowling leagues, Reddit meetups, or even church groups are consisted of randoms that sign up for that service. As for crazy axe-murderers- there's no way to know for sure. But the same could apply to your landlord, your roommates, your local barista and even your next-door neighbor.
Users have an ability to connect via Facebook but it will be optional. It's free to join, free to send messages via the message board. Your event automatically gets listed in your local area where other people RSVP for it if they're interested in meeting you.
As of our first version, we don't plan on having any blocking or filtering features in place. Like any other service such as meetup, grubwithus, or reddit, you can't control whether or not other people show up to your event. If you have concerns about your safety and privacy, it would be best to apply common sense and notify your local law enforcement. If it is still a concern, you can choose to participate in events farther away from your local area or limit the number of people who are allowed to join your event(decreasing the chances that Bob will be one of the attendees). Bob has no way of knowing what events are created by you or what events you have joined unless Bob personally checks each and every event made in all the cities in the database.
I hope I've answered your questions and resolved your concerns. Thanks for the feedback!