Google tests “Shoelace”, a new social networking application

Google is running an invite-only test of Shoelace, a new social networking app that connects people with common interests and activities.

Google has tried several times to build its own successful social network and has so far failed every time. Yet here we are again, just months after Google+ shutdown, and Google is testing a new social networking app that seeks to help people “overload” their social lives.

Shoelace is described as “a mobile application that connects people with common interests through in-person activities”. It is an app that helps people “who have recently moved or are looking to meet others who live nearby” to meet in real life.

Developed by Area 120, Google’s Workshop for Experimental Products, Shoelace’s mission is to “help make connection easier in the real world” by bringing people together based on their common interests and activities. Shoelace is available on Android and iOS, but Google is only testing it in New York at the moment. The goal is to bring the app to cities across the United States once we know what works and what doesn’t.

So what’s that name? Well, as explained on the app’s landing page, “Shoelace’s principle is to tie people together based on their interests, like two laces on a shoe.” People are linked by activities called “loops”. Users can create their own profiles where they share basic information about themselves and loops to connect with others.

Users who don’t want to suggest their own loops may be interested in specific categories and Shoelace will use that information to recommend “handpicked daily activities” ranging from take-out football to free comedy shows. Users can also learn more about other members of their “team” (other people with similar interests) and maybe also make some friends along the way.

It’s also easy to find things to do and plan to do them with others. Additionally, users can invite anyone else to join, whether or not they are using Shoelace. To join Shoelace, however, users will need to have a Google account.

Image Credit: Google / lace

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