Happenstance: Meet a random human being every month by email

Makerpad

Interesting idea. Similar to Serendipity but I'm not sure that is even still going... @manasvinik maybe you can tell us :) - and if it is not still running then maybe you can share some of the challenges here! @yoann_lopez how are you going to ensure that the people others are meeting are actually worthwhile? Not time-wasters, half-arsed ppl etc. This is by far the biggest challenge to face here so have to nail it :) - curious to see what you are putting in place to do so.

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9yr ago

Yoann Lopez

Leave Me Alone

Maker

@bentossell @manasvinik Thanks for your comment. Indeed similar to Serendipity that I've started to use after working on Happenstance but I've only met people who were more "job/pro-oriented" and very similar to myself. You're right, we're facing some big challenges, one of them being how to get the right people onboard and not, as you said, time-wasters, half-arsed, etc. I strongly believe that analysing people's self-description is key here.

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9yr ago

Ben Tossell

Makerpad

@yoann_lopez yeah but honestly I could describe myself any which way and come across as a normal decent person... and in reality I could be out to cause trouble. I think you will need more sophisticated systems than just checking a users bio.

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9yr ago

Yoann Lopez

Leave Me Alone

Maker

@bentossell we are currently thinking about ways to avoid such problems. First thing would be that any user could be reported for inappropriate behavior, and could be banned from the service. Pretty straightforward and basic I agree, but a first step. To avoid frustration, we'll rematch the other user with another user right away. After analysing the first batches, we'll probably learn a lot a be able to come up with a more sophisticated way to solve this issue.

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9yr ago

Ben Tossell

Makerpad

@yoann_lopez could even have people auth through Twitter/Facebook

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9yr ago

Yoann Lopez

Leave Me Alone

Maker

@bentossell Right, could be a way to deter the people we don't want

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9yr ago

Yoann Lopez

Leave Me Alone

Maker

We created happenstance because we wanted to meet new interesting people, with no other purpose than sharing thoughts, ideas, and life experience. We had that burning desire to expand our world, and to discover the lives and adventures of other people we don’t know yet. We couldn't help but wonder about all those amazing souls we might share something with if only we got to meet them. Although the internet is pretty great for finding jobs, dates, and old friends, there is no service that would allow us to meet some random people, who are obviously cool, and curious just like you and I. With Happenstance, we want to allow everyone to meet someone new, and different, but yet kind of similar. Maybe a teacher from Japan, or a student in Europe, or a traveler in Asia, or a journalist from Africa, or a gardener, or a dentist, or an archeologist, or a professional gamer, or...well you get it. Simplicity is key here. Meet one person/month just out of curiosity. Not job-related, no booty call, no meet-your-next-cofounder, just curiosity. The possibilities are endless, and we cannot wait to meet all of you. Welcome Product Hunters :)

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9yr ago

David Ball

I love the thinking behind this concept but here's my thesis: people want to think they are open to meeting anybody but really they want to meet pretty specific types of people. If you can build your brand around the former but technically nail the latter through some form of personality/demographic profiling and learning over time you may have something pretty cool. Looking forward to signing up.

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9yr ago

Yoann Lopez

Leave Me Alone

Maker

@davieball Thanks! Pretty good analysis! You're right about people looking for similar/specific people but what makes it even more interesting is when they're slightly different (maybe a different culture, or a different background). I think we'll have to go through a pretty steep learning curve here.

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9yr ago

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Meet a random human being every month by email

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