YoLunch.Me is a simple Yo service that gives users easy accessibility to reconnect with forgotten acquaintances.
We all meet and interact with hundreds of people on a yearly basis, but we can only establish deep relationships with a very limited number of them. However, research has been conducted by many social scientists [1] that suggests it is the weaker social ties rather than close friendships that have a significant impact on our career opportunities as networking outcomes. Unfortunately, most of us do not keep in contact with old acquaintances because of the initiative, effort and time commitment that it requires.
YoLunch.Me aims to break down these barriers and easily facilitate contact with weak ties. You initially register with your Facebook account, which allows us to evaluate the strength of your ties with Facebook friends. We can then target and connect you with YoLunch.Me users who manifest traits of weaker ties [2].
Say you want to go to lunch, and no close friends are immediately available. Most likely, you would plan to eat lunch alone. It’s just too complicated to reach out to ‘secondary’ contacts without previous planning. Not to mention that it’s usually pretty awkward to message a friend you haven’t talked to for a few weeks or even since you’ve added him/her as a Facebook friend.
Our application provides you with a casual and spontaneous alternative. When you want to take a break, you can “Yo” Lunch.Me, and this way let us know that you're looking for people to hang out with. We pass on your “Yo” to nearby dormant contacts, who are also looking to hang out (i.e. they’ve been trying for the past 15 minutes and haven't found anyone yet). YoLunch.Me will “Yo” the other person and deliver your lunch request in a web link. The other person can choose to refuse/ignore it or say yes/Yo you back. In the latter case, you will receive another “Yo” that opens into the Facebook profile of your lunch partner so that you can message each other to decide on a place.
YoLunch.Me removes the awkward in refreshing your dormant relationships. With limited effort, you can enjoy a great lunch while simultaneously updating your networks for long-term possibilities. Break down the Awkward. Send a Yo.
[1] Granovetter, M.S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380;
[2] Levin, D.Z., Walter J., Murnighan J.K. The power of reconnecting dormant ties can surprise you, MITSloan (Spring 2011).
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