Problems worth solving

Nuance: that is what makes the lookingforgroup.social platform different. Here's a list of real problems facing adults when trying to build local community, and how the platform tackles each one.

What's in a name?

Why is it called lookingforgroup.social ? Looking for Group (or LFG for short) is a common phrase used for online gaming communities for players trying to match with other players. A major difference is that lookingforgroup.social is all about getting people connected in the real world with the goal to make lasting friendships. This initially started with tabletop gamers in mind that want to find other people in their neighborhood to play games with, but it is an open platform to get together for any social reason: watch parties, sports, crafting, etc.

The name was chosen to help people find something they already have a phrase for... now LFG! (if you know, you know)

• LFG calls groups, clubs. It is intended to be a fun way of talking about things.
• A group owner is called a 'Club Manager'. Again, this is just supposed to be a light hearted way of describing things.

The Problems

Problem: Where do you go to make friends?

Making friends as an adult is hard. School, team sports, and shared neighborhoods used to bring compatible people together automatically. Once you're out of that stage of life, those structures fade away and you're left to build connections on your own.

lookingforgroup.social replaces those old structures with a searchable, local area focused platform built for adults who want to make new social connections on purpose.

Problem: Finding a good fit

Anxiety prevents a lot of people from trying out a new group. You have to show up cold before knowing if the people there are going to a good fit. Most platforms ask you to commit before you know anything real about a group. You show up, you pay, and you hope it works out. A lot of groups do not even have regular members which makes making connections even more challenging.

lookingforgroup.social surfaces interest overlap and group personality before you ever reach out. You can see the fit ahead of time, so the commitment comes after the confidence.

Problem: Existing tools can't help groups find new members

Online social groups tend to sit at one of two extremes: private and invisible to outsiders, or public and open to everyone, including bots and trolls.

If you have a small private group and a member moves away or stops participating the group starts to shrink, there's no good way to backfill it. So, you open the group up and now it is flooded with spam and MLM.

LFG lets clubs search directly for new members who match their interests and invite them in.

Problem: Search only works one way

Most platforms put all the work of discovery on the person looking to join. They search, they apply, they wait.

lookingforgroup.social makes search bidirectional. Individuals can search for clubs, and Club Managers can search for individuals. Either side can start the connection.

Problem: Locality is an afterthought

A lot of group platforms aren't built around proximity at all, so you can end up matched with people across town or in another city entirely.

There are so many people looking for connection, but when I look at socializing honestly, I know that I don't want to drive 30 minutes across town after work to meet up with folks to drive another 30 minutes back afterwards. I'm tired after work and I want to hang out and relax and not spend a big chunk of time traveling after a stressful day.

lookingforgroup.social is built around local discovery from the ground up by allowing for exploration via a map. The goal is connections you can reach by walking or biking.

Problem: spam, bots, and MLM. Oh my!

Public groups are easy to find, which also makes them easy to abuse.

lookingforgroup.social is built around small, selective, exclusive communities. Club Managers control membership directly, which keeps the quality of connections high.

LFG supports the idea of consent so that each person (User and Club Manager) has to agree before someone can join a group or become connected. Additionally, there is user verification which earns a user a badge so that you know that the person you are engaging with is real.

Problem: Friend-finding apps are designed for one-on-one connections

Most friend-finding apps pair up two people at a time. They're built for individual matches, not for filling out a group.

lookingforgroup.social is purpose-built for small group formation: finding a fourth for your golf game, a sixth for your book club, or the right person to round out a jam band.

Problem: Small groups dissolve when people move

Groups that run on informal channels, like a group chat or word of mouth, have no recovery path when membership drops. Life happens, so LFG is here to fill the empty seat.

lookingforgroup.social makes it easy to search for and invite compatible new members, so a group can replenish itself and keep going instead of quietly disappearing.

Conclusion

That's the shape of the problem I'm trying to solve. If any of these sound familiar, lookingforgroup.social is built for you.

If you've read this far, you're awesome, thank you. If you're excited to become a leader in your community then please do create a club and share the message.