For students who 'Want To,' a new way to social network

Students looking to throw a frisbee tomorrow or be an actor in a film project need look no further than YoYouWantTo.com.

YoYouWantTo is a social networking web site created by Nikhil Nirmel, a 2008 Penn alumnus, to facilitate simple, small pick-up groups around college campuses among both friends and strangers.

“There’s a high need for common interests,” Nirmel said, “and [YoYouWantTo] offers a basis for developing those relationships on campus.”

Events, or “Yo’s”, are posted to the whole school but can be narrowed down to a particular dorm or graduation year. When users create a new “Yo,” they submit an event, time and number of spots open.

Students can also browse upcoming events and click a bright orange “I’m Down” button, for example, to “grab a bite from Hemos.”

YoYouWantTo has been used by Nirmel’s friends for a few years, and was officially opened to the public earlier this month.

Five “Yo’s” are on the site right now, including “Yo, you want to play basketball at Pottruck?” and “... get a couple drinks at White Dog with me?”

Nirmel, who transferred to Penn from New York University after his freshman year, came up with the idea in 2004 while brainstorming with his NYU friend Dan Langevin.

Coming home from an enjoyable small group dinner early in his first year at Penn, Nirmel realized that the key for strong friendships was “a common affiliation.”

“I’ve always believed that students do a lot of ‘settling’ socially,” Nirmel explained in a press release. “Currently, though, there’s no invitation-based campus communication mechanism in place for the necessary dialogue to happen.”

He added that the site will appeal especially to new and transfer students, who are in need of common interests and things to do at college.

Nirmel said the site is starting small, but several Penn students were receptive to the concept.

“It’ll be nice to know what’s going on,” said Engineering senior Lorraine Mutyaba, who currently uses Facebook for planning. “It might be useful to have events in one spot.”

The site — which Nirmel coded almost entirely himself — sports a clean, simple interface, which he says sets it apart from similar sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

It was developed over a period of four years, with help from Wharton entrepreneur programs. Nirmel then took his project to the Weiss Tech House, where it went on to win $1,000 in a contest sponsored by Weiss Tech House’s Innovation Fund.

YoYouWantTo is now available on six campuses — Penn, NYU, Columbia University, St. John’s College, The New School and Palm Beach Community College. Nirmel said he plans to expand to more schools if the site proves popular.

“It’s an ongoing process,” he said, “but ultimately our success depends on the students.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.