The most important... Do your users trust you? Do they trust each other?

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When I bounded into start-up land, a younger me, I loved the thought of a profile-less social media. A place where you go to find things to do, not to build up an online image of yourself. 18 months on, I realize these do not have to be mutually exclusive. All too quickly, I was taught that a lack of a profile could have its own pitfalls for a user; if Clyxers couldn’t learn about others going to said yoga class or night out, would they really risk going, or even want to?

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Scarred by the hours I had poured into trying to present an image for other people, I had lost sight of the fact that a profile could be designed to serve me, not to enslave me. I forgot that being myself could be cool, and most importantly, I forgot that, if I found the right people, being myself WOULD be cool. I didn’t see that it wasn’t me who had to change; it was the platform, it was my audience, it was maybe even my society. I was a young girl who didn’t really have any means of finding those people that would find me cool, but I did have all the tools at my disposal to pretend to be - the filters, the stories, the editing apps. Truthfully, I became better at being someone else than at being myself.

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At Clyx, we are working on building a type of social media profile where you can share the parts of yourself that actually matter; the things you like doing, the reasons you like doing them, the places that are your favorite to visit, the adventures on your bucket list. The list can go on; the singers you’d dream of watching live, the hometown you wish you could connect with more expats from, the pronouns that make you feel most comfortable.

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It is my dream to help you find people who love doing the same things as you and with whom you can share your most magical moments. This very much starts with your profile - sharing the way you like to spend your time is really the most honest information you can share. It is this detail which will help us find you the right activities with the right people for you; it is this intimacy which leads to real friendship and camaraderie, not just a like or follow. At its core, your profile is the very first step of forging your relationship with the people you match with, of earning their trust. Most people want to hangout with people like them - those who share their interests, hobbies and life stage. If people can’t learn about you when you match, if they can’t see a small part of themselves in the profile you share, they probably won’t feel very comfortable meeting with you.

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So, when filling out your Clyx profile, be humbled by the fact that people must know you to love you - that it is only in sharing the truth that you will really find the companionship, belonging - and most of all, fun! - that you are probably looking for.

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