WhyGoSolo.com - Making Connections Happen

Paul McCartney was right: no more lonely nights thanks to WhyGoSolo.com, a newly launched social network that aims to connect people willing to try new stuff and for some reason don’t have company to do it with, have extra tickets for a concert or sports event, or need to pop up at a family wedding with a date to avoid feeling miserable. If only Bridget Jones could use WhyGoSolo.com, she’d find a very nicely designed social network by a Washington DC startup where to meet people of her own mindset, not just chat over the internet, but actually get to meet each other, as that’s the ultimate point of this platform. Joining the site is free, and if you are feeling a bit skeptical about the process, bear in mind that you can regulate your privacy settings to avoid people you might not be interested to meet from contacting you. The site works by posting upcoming events in the public Community Board, which features events under different categories, like Music, Sports, Arts, Movies, Tours, etc, and since these listings can be filtered by country, state, or city, you’re bound to find someone close to you that can join you for whatever activity you are interested in doing. Also take a look at the Groups section, in which you’ll find more specific/local communities focusing on stuff like “Seattle Lunch in the Park”, “Washington novel reading” or “Louisville Jogging”.

“WhyGoSolo is perfect for all the things you love to do but you don't have the right person to do the activities with. WhyGoSolo is splendid for those occasions when you're on the road traveling, left behind by your friends, stuck with cancelled plans or just relocated to a new area. WhyGoSolo is also ideal for those moments when you feel spontaneous and find yourself with an afternoon or day off or you want to try something new and meet someone new”.

WhyGoSolo is planning to add exciting new features in their future versions (they are still in alpha for the time being), like twitter integration, website widgets, a mobile platform, and discounted ticket purchasing, so it can build up to be a great one-stop-shop for social needs, as you will be able to do everything to plan a fun activity from the site itself, including alerting your contacts in other social networks about your plans.

How many other sites are competing for the same pool of people? WhyGoSolo is entering a definitely crowded market, and they’ll need a very solid business and advertising plan to generate a proprietary audience, while striving to keep the existing users engaged. Will they be able to grab a significant portion of the social networking market in order to survive?