How about some virtual cutting chai? For Hyderabadis abroad, or those too busy or shy to socialise, this might prove to be manna from heaven. Started by a Chennai-boy Kaviraj, a localised networking site could become the next move in the evolution of Internet-based social netorking concepts. The website, dubbed areapal dot com claims to be distinct from other online networking sites like Orkut or Facebook, simply because “it would enable real world interactions within a locality,” said founder and entrepreneur Kaviraj.
Delving deeper into the idea behind the site, Kaviraju explained, saying: “Our preliminary studies indicated that an India-centric platform for interaction has not been executed before.
The websites usually make the users substitute real relationships for net based interactions, in the process alienating them from a world of friendship and fun.” The web portal, members of his team explained, “is being designed so as to provide opportunities for meeting up and hanging out with like minded people.” Unlike other social networking sites, this project would however aim to provide practical solutions that are a step ahead of the usual friendship and interaction bit, Kaviraj claims. Citing case studies of people who have found flatmate through the site, he said, “the site should ideally make people leave the company of their computer screens and not keep them glued into a trap of loneliness.” The project that has seen major openings in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, in words of project associate Sankeerth Reddy “should help create real communities instead of virtual ones.” Regarding the issue of privacy and security, Kaviraj says, “The site would have multiple privacy options, especially for women. “Projections from the site would also see student users engage in collaborative research and also act as a meeting point for NRIs across the borders,” said the development team, as they slung their backpacks and prepared to leave.