Vision
A world where individuals thrive in community with others.
Mission
To provide a social networking platform where users can connect casually around common interests with other people in their area.
Instead of following the typical group-based model of popular social networking companies – where interest groups are created to generally serve a single interest, bringing together random people, but then resulting in external people who never took the time to find the group – Towner seeks to take an approach that better aligns with how people actually network and seek to connect with others, an individuals-based model.
By seeking to build a system that networks people-to-people, instead of people to content, more people can be served, connected, and ultimately brought together into flourishing local communities.
Then, when applied to a private community, the individuals-based model networks Members of a community faster than ever before, by allowing Members to quickly find people in their institution who share their interests, then allowing Members to have a platform for posting unofficial, casual, Member-organized Plans or Member-generated content to stimulate organic, intentional connections.
Backstory
In 2012, I first experienced what it was like to be in a city where I didn’t know anyone. It was then in Reno, Nevada that I realized how fragmented our lives had become. Despite having very common interests (e.g. soccer, volleyball, making music), actually finding and connecting with people who shared those interests seemed far too difficult given we all had internet-connected mobile devices…
It was this problem that seemed so fascinating. People thrive with others. Technology had advanced so far. Yet there still seemed to be a chasm between two people who both wanted to play tennis, but who lived on separate parts of an apartment complex. But how?
It was then that I started to dream about how this could work. Maybe, this. Or… Wow: that’s it! Well, “that” ended up being a 5 year long dead end that landed me back in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.
But, it was then, that I found myself in another apartment complex. But instead of starting to design a product again, I started to talk to people. “Are you interested in meeting others?” “Why?” “How?” “What might go wrong?”
After many conversations with friends, neighbors, and complete strangers – and a career in Product Design – I started building again. This should take a few months. Maybe a few more. Next year, definitely. Ah, but… Well… It should just be a bit faster…
Well, this brings us to today. I hope that you enjoy the “Towner” app, designed to connect people nearby around common interests, so together we can make our local thrive. Because despite news headlines about stories far away, we all have agency to make the places we live better, happier, and more fun.
We thrive with others. Especially with those who share our interests. Because through participation and collaboration, a dream and turn into a reality. So I urge you to think about the interests that you want to pursue or enjoy, then consider the Towner Challenge.