The Little Friendship App That Dared to Be Different
The Little Friendship App That Dared to Be Different
There's something rather bold about entering an established industry and deciding not to follow the established rules.
Especially when you're 78 years old.
But FriendsApp founder Stephen Ellis isn't particularly interested in creating a smaller imitation of somebody else's platform.
He believes the world has room for something different.
And that's exactly what he set out to build.
★ Why Follow Everybody Else?
The technology industry has become very good at adding features.
Smarter algorithms.
More elaborate recommendations.
More photographs.
More ways to hold people's attention.
And increasingly, artificial intelligence that can simulate human conversation.
All these developments have their uses.
But Ellis began with another question.
What if the real opportunity was to make things simpler?
★ Friendship Doesn't Need to Be a Competition
Think about the people who have become your friends over the years.
Did you choose them because they had the most impressive photographs?
Because an algorithm calculated your compatibility?
Because they had thousands of followers?
Probably not.
Perhaps they made you laugh.
Perhaps you discovered something in common.
Perhaps you simply enjoyed talking to them.
That's what FriendsApp is trying to make possible online.
★ A Different Kind of Starting Point
FriendsApp asks people to introduce themselves with a message.
They can explain who they are, what interests them and the sort of people they'd like to meet.
Other members can discover those introductions and send requests to begin private conversations.
It isn't an elaborate system.
That's intentional.
Read Have You Heard About FriendsApp? for a closer look at how it works.
★ An Independent App With Its Own Ideas
FriendsApp isn't backed by a famous social network or a giant dating corporation.
It's an independent project with an unusually focused ambition.
Help people make new friends.
And keep improving the experience of doing exactly that.
Not build a complicated collection of unrelated services.
Not distract members with endless features.
Just help more people find one another.
★ Daring to Be Different Means Staying Different
There's a temptation for any growing platform to copy whatever seems popular elsewhere.
More features.
More entertainment.
More ways to keep people inside the app.
But FriendsApp's founder believes the real value lies in what happens between members
★ Discover More About FriendsApp — Dare to Be Different
Curious about FriendsApp? Discover a different way to make new friends.