Thanks to a series of mobile apps, taking from a platonic tinder method of “matching,” everyone can be armed with the tools to make amazing connections at palm of their hand. These three apps make it easy and fun to meet people in your area and to find great events and activities and to help you make a home in any city.
1. Friendable
Friendable is the only app that has been designed from the ground up to help you make friends in your area. While other apps focus on multiple components of the social experience, often getting the message muddled in the process, Friendable gets the planning out of the way for you, so you can get back to making genuine connections. The process is simple: make an account, and either start or join a group. When starting a group, you can create from any theme you want. If you’re looking for movie goers or music fans, you can find them in a flash. Then, Friendable uses its connections with local businesses to give you a launchpad for your hangout. And because everything revolves around the “local” idea, you’ll never get recommendations for people who turn out to live hundreds of miles away – yes, we’re looking at you, OKCupid.
2. Meetup
Probably the largest of the dedicated “meet new friends” platforms, Meetup offers a large user base and a variety of activities for newcomers. Their website is cleanly designed, they can recommend groups near your location. While, the event-centric model allows you to “find your people,” it also makes it difficult to create personal relationships rather than many fleeting connections. When you join a group, it’s not uncommon to see 70 or more RSVPs on an event and with groups as unique as ‘Woman who Code’ and ‘Hudson Valley Hikers’ (16,000+ members), you could be meeting so many like-minded people all at once. In practice, Meetup is more of a speed-friending experience than a one-on-one affair.
3. Facebook
Facebook has many uses, so you might not be surprised to learn that in addition to an opinion, image, message and video sharing site, it’s also a great way to meet new people. Facebook’s Groups and Events create a solid platform from which to launch your event, as you can potentially get a few thousand strangers together, united under a common cause. While many groups are theoretically location-based, people can join from just about anywhere, which can be a huge plus for concept-based friendship making as it offer variety and quantity.
