There’s no shortage of social websites vying for attention from hip, young urban dwellers. But what about the 35+ crowd who live farther away from major city centers -- where it can sometimes be tough to meet fresh faces? A new website, the meeting board, is designed to appeal to this under-served group.
Launched in beta in February, the meeting board facilitates casual, in-person meetings for people who want to expand their local circle of friends. For those who are newly single or divorced, the website provides an appealing alternative from the plethora of dating sites, which often skew younger and can leave older users feeling “out of their element.”
The meeting board’s “invite” feature allows users to seek out company -- for anything from lunch to an afternoon dog walk. The website also features a “local events” section to help users -- who can log in with their Facebook account or create a profile on the meeting board -- learn about community happenings. Users can also post their own events on the site to attract new attendees.
Jenny Levion, founder of the meeting board, conceived of the site outside a Bedford, N.Y., post office. “Looking at the town bulletin board one day, I had a vision of how useful this sort of thing could be online with all the benefits of social networking,” she says. “And when I mentioned the idea to friends, they all nodded in agreement.”
The site has launched in Westchester, N.Y.; Fairfield, Conn.; and Central N.J.
“With our busy schedules, work and children, it is so hard to meet people with similar interests -- especially as we leave our college years behind. There is a huge need for a ‘non dating, meet people website’ in our local communities and towns,” Levion says.
