In the digital age, more and more things are being moved into an online format. The concept of moving forward with technology is what inspired Katie Hartle of Winnipeg, Manitoba, to create an online forum to inspire new friendships. Eventually, her idea turned into FriendMatch.
“I use the Internet for everything — trips, cars, dates, Christmas presents — anything I want, I can usually track down on the Internet pretty easily,” Hartle said. “There are social networks for all kinds of interests, and there is a dating site for every niche group, so why not a place that works like a dating site, where you can just meet a new friend instead?”
Hartle said she knew plenty of people who struggled with making new friends.
“For myself, I found that I wanted someone to run with, but none of my current friends were runners,” Hartle said. “Everywhere I looked, I saw people who could benefit from a service that made finding friends easier. So the first thing I did was try to find something like FriendMatch online. When I couldn’t find anything useful, I decided to build it myself.”
Once she had the idea in her head, Hartle said she had to work at making the dream into a reality.
“I’m not a big tech person, but I learned a lot,” Hartle said. “In the beginning, that meant … teaching myself how to ‘code,’ what hosting means exactly and all the other steps involved in building a website.”
Eventually, Hartle said she saw a need to expand her creation.
“When things started growing, I knew that FriendMatch could become very big one day, even in other countries across the world, so I hired a coder to help with the technical things,” Hartle said. “FriendMatch still has a lot of work before it is perfect. I am now reviewing some offers for partnerships and investments, but I won’t stop working on the site until my goal has been achieved.”
Elementary education senior Hannah Stromberg said she would try the website if she were moving to a new area. She said she isn’t surprised to find out FriendMatch exists.
“You can meet real friends online because a lot of things are done online today,” Stromberg said. “I know it works for dating, so I can’t see why friendships would be any different.”
On the flip side, advertising senior Katie Diamond said she can see the use for the website, but only to an extent.
“You meet people on there and become better friends when you hang out,” Diamond said. “I don’t think it’s something that can ever replace hanging out and meeting people in person.”
With lifestyles constantly changing, Hartle said the need for this website is stronger now than ever before.
“I think the world has changed,” Hartle said. “There has been a recent article in the New York Times about loneliness in adults and how it is not as easy to make new friends when we grow up. We are busier people, we move around and maybe we have lost our sense of community in some places with our modern lifestyles.”
When Hartle began promoting the website in March, FriendMatch had only 150 members. Today, that number has grown to about 8,000 members. Hartle plans to continue to expand and build upon the website in the hopes of helping others create quality, lasting relationships.
To join FriendMatch, visit www.friendmatch.us.
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