Help & Suggestions

 

Contact Us

Sidekick is your app. We may have designed it initially, but it’s up to you to help it develop into a community of fellowship. So by all means reach out and tell us how to make it better. We’re always eager to update and expand its features.

• Report bad behavior (or any other problem) – [email protected]
• Recommend a new interest category – [email protected]
• Give us feedback or suggestions – [email protected]
• Because we’re still Beta-testing the app, you may encounter an occasional broken link and/or bugs or software glitches. Please let us know and send a screenshot whenever possible (we want to make this app the best it can be) – [email protected]

 

What You Should Know about the Sidekick App

Although there are many things you can do with Sidekick (and the list keeps growing as we further develop and refine the app) there are some things that you can’t do – by design:

• You can’t compare your follower counts. That’s because there are none. At Sidekick, we believe that developing meaningful friendships in the real world is far more important than attracting a multitude of online connections.
• You can’t “like” anyone’s comments. Nor can you give anyone a thumbs-up, thumbs-down, heart emoji or smiley face. Social media makes us stressed and unhappy because everything we do and say gets put under a microscope and judged. Not on Sidekick. On Sidekick, we’ve removed these stressors in order to focus on the conversations that enable connection and activity.
• You can’t hide behind filters. Sidekick is a community of friends, not a popularity contest, and not a dating app. Authenticity, not beauty or clever pick-up lines, is what we value. So just be yourself and trust others to see and appreciate the real you.
• You can’t pay to have your results preferred. Sites that allow someone to pay to push their profile to the top of your feed are lying to you. They promise a match based on some measure of compatibility, but then they recommend matches based on how much someone paid. Not at Sidekick. The results you see will never be manipulated. Instead, the results will be based solely on your interests and location (and any other filters you choose to add).
• You can’t create multiple accounts or sign up using a bot. Again, we are all about authenticity. Our goal is to help real humans meet real humans. We make it as difficult as possible to be anyone other than yourself. And we encourage the reporting of catfishing and ghosting.

The other thing you won’t find on Sidekick – we hope – is any kind of bad behavior. Yes, the government must guarantee your free speech rights. But Sidekick is a private forum for people who share an aversion to vitriol and hate speech, and who prize respect, dignity and inclusion. Those who cannot interact with courtesy and civility will be removed from the site.

 

How to Make the Most out of the Sidekick App

 

Discover versus Explore

Sidekick gives you two ways to find people, groups and Kickits that you would enjoy – one passive and the other completely under your control. You can find both by clicking on the home button at the bottom-left of your screen.

The Discover feature is a typical feed. It runs on an algorithm that recommends search results based on your interests and location. In other words, we do all the work for you. Just sit back and see what we come up with. Mostly, it’ll be nearby people, groups and Kickits that share your same hobbies and interests. But sometimes we might surprise you with something new or different.

As an alternative, the Explore feature puts you in charge. There is no algorithm. No machine learning. No pushing or manipulating results. You control the search terms, and you control the results.

• PRO TIP – when you do an Explore search, consider starting with a fairly broad category of interest. Choose “Action Movies” or “Superhero Movies” instead of “Spiderman.” That way, if there is no one nearby who shares your love of your friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, you can still find people who enjoy the same genre of movie. And if you don’t get any results, try searching again but with an even broader category.
• PRO TIP – if your Discover feed or Explore search gives you a large number of results, you can use the bookmarks feature to highlight any that might be worth coming back to later. You can find your bookmarked items in your profile by clicking on your photo at the bottom-right of your screen.

If you’re looking to find a particular person or group, you can type their name into the search box. Alternatively, if you click on the hamburger menu located to the left of the search box, you can refine your search using a number of filters, including age, sex, location, interest category, and group membership.

It’s fun sometimes to take the lead and control your destiny. If that’s how you feel, try to Explore. But if you’re just not in the mood and would prefer to sit back and browse what’s out there, your best bet is to Discover. Either way, new friends and new adventures are waiting for you on Sidekick.

 

Pro Tips for Building Your Profile

Sidekick isn’t a dating app. So please don’t treat it like one. Be honest and authentic. Be open and vulnerable. Be a friend and adventurer.

When you choose your profile photo, focus on the fun, interesting, unique you, not an idealized or romanticized or airbrushed you. Avoid using filters and keep away from busy or cluttered backgrounds. Frame your face in the center of the photo, and don’t wear sunglasses or anything that might obscure your face. And always remember, this isn’t a beauty contest. Sidekick users care a lot more about what you do than about how you look.

Be as specific as possible when selecting your interests, and don’t keep your quirky passions secret. If your real love is re-enacting Civil War battles, don’t just say you like “History.” People who search for “History” will find you either way, but that one elusive friend whose favorite thing in life is charging up Little Round Top will make themselves known only if you, too, are specific with your interests.

Use the “My Story” box to tell the world a little about yourself – your real self, not some image of yourself you’re trying to create. Friends don’t care about that stuff. Tell us what makes you tick. What gets you excited? What are you looking for in life?

Use the “About My Interests” box to explain your relationship with your various interests. Tell us about your experience level and how often you partake. Is it the activity that you love, or the post-activity beers and socializing? Are you a bit rusty? Out-of-shape? Or are you at peak performance and looking to push yourself to improve? And above all, tell us why do you enjoy your interests and what do you hope to gain by pursuing them.

Use the “My Preferences” box to explain any limitations on your ability to partake. Is your time limited? Are you free only on weekends? In the summer? While on holiday? Can you only play a particular position or style? What about alcohol – is it a problem? or a necessity? Do you have all the equipment, or do you need to rent or borrow some?

  

How (and Why) to Create a Kickit

A Kickit is an open-ended invitation, addressed to no one and everyone. It’s how you announce your intention to start an adventure. It tells the world, “I enjoy doing such-and-such activity, and I’d be glad if anyone else wanted to join me.”

To create a new Kickit, just click on the plus sign at the bottom of your screen and select “Create Kickit.” Then follow the prompts and describe your plans. Nearby people who enjoy the same interests will find your Kickit in their Discover feed and Explore search results.

The genius of the Kickit is that you don’t have to ask anyone in particular. Thus, there isn’t the pressure that comes with a formal invitation. You put it out there, and you can be confident that anyone who replies is also looking for a similar adventure – and a new friend.

A Kickit can have a specific date and time, like an offer to go see a movie. Or it can be open-ended, like an invitation to form a pick-up basketball team.

What sorts of things can a Kickit be about? Anything, really. There are no rules or limits. But here are some common examples:

• Invite people to an organized event, like a jazz concert, street fair, parade, tennis tournament, poetry slam, historical reenactment, Bigfoot hunt, baseball game, book signing, cosplay convention, whatever. The event can be mundane, like a pick-up game in the park, or epic, like a cross-country road trip to see Taylor Swift live in concert.
• Invite people to share an interest or hobby. Ask whether anyone else nearby also loves skateboarding, or playing video games, or air guitar, or collecting stamps, or walking your dog.
• Ask for a teacher (or student or fellow learner). Sometimes, when you want to try something new, it helps to have someone more experienced show you the way. We don’t recommend solo skydiving, for example. And most people can’t teach themselves karate. Or maybe you’d enjoy sharing your skills with others. Or you just want a friend who also likes to try new things. Just be sure to describe your skill level and explain what you want in your description of the Kickit.
• Find a roommate. Maybe you need help with a DIY project. Or you need a ride to the airport after exams end. Or a roommate for the summer. Just tell the world what you’re looking for, and see if anyone will bite.

But whatever happens, don’t be discouraged if no one answers your call. Sidekick is still quite new, and it’s going to take some time to build a community large enough to satisfy everyone. So invite your friends to join the app. And keep putting Kickits out into the universe. We promise that the universe will eventually take notice and reward you.

 

How (and Why) to Create a Group

One of the best features of Sidekick is that it allows you to create as many groups as you like – all for free. Just click on the plus sign at the bottom of your screen and select “Create Group.” Then follow the prompts and consider including a banner photo or logo to make your group stand out. Anyone with the same interest will be able to find your group in their Discover feed or Explore search results.

• PRO TIP – when choosing a group’s interests, consider selecting a “Group Type” from Sidekick’s interests hierarchy. This will help users find you and also helps if your group has no particular hobby or interest (for example, an apartment building). Of course, your group can also have one or more other interests as well.

Each group has one or more human sponsors with administrative capabilities. It’s their job to make announcements and police any bad actors. By default, the group’s creator is also its administrative sponsor. But you can add or change sponsors anytime.

Members of a group can chat with one another and share news and updates. You can also limit the results of your Discover feed and Explore searches to include only members of a group that you’ve joined or created.

You can make your group public, so anyone can join with the click of a button. Or you can make your group private, meaning that no one can join without your permission. For example, you might want to open your charity fundraiser to anyone willing to come and contribute, while preferring to review and approve anyone joining you for an overnight camping trip.

Groups can be large, like a university’s student body or alumni association. They can be small, like a two-person pickleball team. Or they can be somewhere in the middle, like a church choir or a book club. There is no limit on size.

• PRO TIP – if you form a large private group (anything with more than a handful of members), it will probably become cumbersome to approve every member by hand. Instead, select “Share” from the menu at the bottom of the group screen and create a unique invitation link. You can then paste the link into email or other communications programs and send it to everyone you’d like to have join. If you’d like to add a level of security, you can also protect the link with a password of your choosing. Then, when a recipient follows the link, they’ll be automatically admitted as a member of your group.

And there’s no limit to the group’s purpose, either. Maybe you want to create an affinity group within your campus community. Or you want to advertise your rock gym. Or form a youth softball league, or rock band, or local alumni club, or Bible-study class, or D&D campaign, or national rights organization. The only limit is your imagination.

Nor is there any limit to the number of groups you can sponsor or join. Become a member of your university student body, your residence hall, the outing club, the soccer team, the Sophomore class, your friend group, and the Black Student Union – all at the same time.

Groups are an incredibly flexible and useful tool for pursuing your interests. Take advantage of their potential by inviting your friends and acquaintances to download Sidekick so they can become members of your groups alongside you.