WhyGoSolo, a completely self-funded startup from Washington D.C., wants to help you transition your online relationships and friendships to the offline world. For some people, the interactions they have online are so fulfilling that they are overlooking the importance of having real-world relationships. With WhyGoSolo’s online community and tools like their Facebook app and upcoming twitter integration, you’ll now have a new way to meet people online to hang out with in the real world.
WhyGoSolo is not a dating site, but you do have to be over 18 to join since the site’s aim is to connect professional adults with each other. Whether you’re on the road traveling, new to an area, stuck with an extra ticket, or just looking for like-minded people to go places with, WhyGoSolo can help you meet new people.
On the site, members can view the Community Board, which features listings for various types of activities, like Music, Art, Theater, Movies, Tours, etc. The listings can be filtered by Country, State, and City. There is also a Groups section, which features smaller communities that are open to all and organized around a specific activity or setting more like something Meetup.com would offer – for example, “Ann Arbor Sci-Fi Movies,” “Chicago LunchTime Knit Group,” or the “Boston Activity Group.”
The difference between WhyGoSolo and sites like Meetup.com is that WhyGoSolo does not want to specifically focus on large groups, but more on one-on-one to small group interactions.
A better comparison of WhyGoSolo would be to sites like wannago.com and soon-to-launch zoodango.com. However, unlike those offerings, the WhyGoSolo community isn’t meant to be an endpoint for social interactions. Instead, they want to grow into a hub of information that is gathered and then rebroadcast through various means, including social network integration. They already have the WhyGoSolo Facebook application which can be added to your profile to let your Facebook friends know when and what you are interested in doing. There is also a promise of twitter integration, website widgets, a mobile platform, and discounted ticket purchasing in the future.
The site offers different privacy levels: public, friends, or users (members) only. The public status allows everyone who visits WhyGoSolo.com and starts browsing to see your profile, listings and related information. Users Only means that only members of WhyGoSolo can see that info and the friends only setting allows only your friends see it.
Since the site is currently in alpha, it’s too early to judge them just yet, but with all of their plans for future offerings, WhyGoSolo is one to keep your eye on.