Wow - sounds kinda hostile and doesn't really address the original point (sorry if I'm misreading your response). What's so special about the exact mile radius that couldn't be, say, a bit more flexible if conditions aren't perfect? Couldn't the app expand that to a mile and a half if no-one's present within a mile? Etc. I think that's the original point that was being made.
sorry if it sounded hostile, i appreciated the comment! my point was that the integrity of the app relies on a fixed radius. im not opposed to increasing the fixed radius initially while there arent a lot of users. however expanding the radius according to nearby users makes the location aspect less relevant. if the nearest user is 20 miles away than they should probably use another app.
In rural areas in North America, you might expect people to be much further away, but since everyone has to drive for everything anyways, it's not that big of a deal. I think it retains much of the excitement of being within "walking distance" if you can drive 10 minutes to meet someone.
I think that's a good point. If the fixed radius is an important feature you keep it. It sounds like it's the reason the app exists, and to change it would simply turn the app into something it's not.
Just wanted to chime in and say I get you, man. "Chat with people within 1 mile" is just a better thing than "Chat with people within a radius adjusted based on how many users are online nearby."
Yep, that's fair enough. And you certainly don't have to make an app that's useful for everyone everywhere. Still, getting it to catch on will be hard enough even if people can find others to chat with, it makes sense to do what you can to help with that. How about keeping the tagline the same, and keeping it at 1 mile as long as there's someone there to chat with. But if not, you could prompt the user: There's no one else online within a mile. Want to look a bit further away? Or something along those lines.
Maybe it's a bit like Twitter's 140 character limit, ignoring the SMS size that inspired it. Sure, people might want to tweet longer messages, but tough - this is how it is and probably one reason it worked.
I think you are right about wanting to know that people you are talking to you are nearby being important. I also think if you allowed a larger radius option in the form of 10 miles or whatever, you would NEVER be able to remove it without complaints. That said, I'd consider promoting the app in a specific large city.
Alternatively, a neighborhood/borough mode might be an interesting adaption that would let you shrink as you scale. In New York, maybe you only talk to people who are also in Brooklyn. Or just Nearby parts of Brooklyn (mash up with that app that allows you to see how far you can get in a time period). In North Dakota, you might have a much much bigger region.
This would also avoid the issue I have playing a game with a geolocation based chat on android, wherein I am in the Financial district in SF, and see "nearby" people in Oakland, when I would have to cross the bridge/take bart there.
