So after yesterday’s hiccup, I’m going back to the service I know nothing about: WhyGoSolo. Let’s take a look.
I sign in, and add some stuff to my profile:
Pretty standard profile stuff. Now let’s take a look around at the different features/sections.
Features
1. Community Listings
Community listings are just what they sound like- categorized event listings. I think this is the meat of the site. Again, at this point in the education process, I don’t know much about WhyGoSolo, but knowing about their tagline "Making Spontaneous Connections Happen" and seeing this feature makes me think that this site is based on listing events and inviting the crowd. I could be completely wrong, just a feeling.
2. History
Clicking the history link takes me to an empty page. Why? Because I haven’t done anything yet. Makes sense. I’m guessing that if I posted an event (or signed up to attend a listed event), this page would show that, tell me who else is going, etc.
3. Blog
I don’t think this needs an explanation.
4. Friends
The friends tab shows the people you’re connected to.
5. Groups
The groups section shows a listing of groups you can join.
6. Pictures
You can upload photo galleries.
7. Invites
The invites section allows you to invite friends to WhyGoSolo either via email or by scraping your gmail or Yahoo mail contacts.
8. Community Board
This appears to be a categorized view of the community listings.
9. Coaching Corner
The coaching corner isn’t up yet. It’s coming soon.
Fine, I’m Going To See What This Is
Okay, I’m convinced: blindly touring a social media site without having any context or actually checking out why they exist is probably not the best idea. Time to check out what they’re all about.
Here’s what they say:
WhyGoSolo is for making spontaneous connections happen… therefore, bringing about the end of boredom. And you’re thinking… "What does that mean?"
It means, always being able to find or post activities you’re interested in doing, and always finding someone to do your favorite activities with. It doesn’t matter what your interests are: sports, the arts, culture, food, games—you name it, you’ll be able to find a like-minded person with the same interests to go and enjoy your favorite activities. No more wondering what to do on your day off, on the weekends, in the evenings or when you have some free-time. With WhyGoSolo… you can always find something to do with someone new and exciting.
Got it.
So where social networks like MySpace and facebook are about connecting you to people you already know, WhyGoSolo is about connecting you to people you do not yet know based on common interests.
