This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
Welcome to the show, everyone. So glad you're out there. Thanks for tuning in. Today, we're going to go to Saskatoon, Canada. Saskatoon, Canada in, I believe, Saskatchewan, if I'm not mistaken. I was there one time, very long ago, on a shore across Canada, funny enough.
Anyway, our caller today has an idea for a social network that connects senior citizens with volunteer grandchildren. "Grandchildren" is in quotes, you know, they're not actual grandchildren or at least not actual grandchildren of the senior citizens using this network. Basically connecting seniors with the volunteers for companionship. This is, of course, a thoughtful and timely idea. And I'm looking forward to hearing how they plan to make this platform successful and overcome any obstacles along the way. Now, there are, of course, some big
obstacles to creating a social network, you know, which is basically what we're trying to do here. So let's see what they have to say. I'll do my best to provide some helpful notes in response. And by the way, thanks for tuning in. My name is Chris Guillebeau.
Detailed question coming right up. Hello, my name is Emmaus and I'm calling from Saskatoon, Canada. I'm interested in starting a social network that connects senior citizens with volunteer grandchildren for companionship. Having seen firsthand the loneliness that can come with old age, I believe this service could make a real difference in people's lives. However, how do you attract both seniors and volunteers to the platform? And what are some potential challenges I may
face? I'm thinking in particular of online safety, but I suppose it could be anything. All right, I'm going to try to be concise here, but I do want to make sure I provide some helpful feedback. So thanks for bringing it up. First of all, love to hear about different ideas. And, you know, while a social network that connects seniors with volunteer grandchildren,
or you know, just volunteers, you know, acting in that role for companionship, it's a thoughtful idea, no doubt. It addresses an important social issue. But I think the issue here is, you know, the business issue is we're considering it, the significant competition from established social media platforms such as Facebook. And really, you know, let's just be real here, it is Facebook. I mean, it could be something else, but Facebook is the platform of choice for that generation right now. So, you know, that's not a small problem. Like they're used
to using Facebook, like if it can be built using Facebook, that's ideal. And if you don't want to use Facebook, which I understand there's all kinds of reasons, you know, why you don't want to, you know, you're facing a kind of a significant challenge, especially if it is an app, if it is its own network, that is essentially self contained. I mean, I guess one advantage you could say is that you're offering the specific and focus service that, you know, a large network like Facebook doesn't have that level of specificity. But really, in order to succeed, you have to kind of gain some sort of mass adoption. And that's difficult, you know, without a lot of money to spend. And even then it's difficult, like large companies
have spent lots of money and haven't been able to do that kind of thing. So I would say let's redirect a little bit. Here's another question. Aside from an app, what could this caller consider? You know, there are other ways that they could connect seniors with volunteer grandchildren for companionship. For example, they could consider, you know,
local events and activities that bring seniors and volunteers together. They can also just make a website, which is still a tech forward solution, but a lot easier. And with a lot less barriers to entry than a self contained app or network. And so this website could serve as a central hub for connecting people. It includes, you know, profiles of volunteers, information about upcoming events, resources, there's a lot you could do there without forcing everyone to kind of learn a new system. So I think ultimately the key to success is finding
a solution that works best for both seniors and the volunteers, and one that's easy to use and accessible. So if you put all those things together, I think maybe make a website not an app, or maybe look at a different way of working toward what is, as I said, a valid and important goal. That's my two cents. Anyway, listeners, if you have a question or feedback or an idea, sidehustleschool.com slash questions, new episode every single day, one's coming out tomorrow, it's all completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle
School from the Onward Project.
