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One good conversation. Locally matched.
Rhein-Neckar · Students & newcomers · Not dating
Already have a profile ? Set your match preferences (5-10 min)
How it works · Who it’s for · What makes it special · Join the pilot · Privacy & Safety & FAQ
GDPR-compliant · Built on LimeSurvey · Non-commercial prototype
💬 What is this
Talk to That One is a prototype designed to help you meet someone new—for real.
Not for dating. Not another group meetup.
Just one person. One hour. One surprisingly good conversation.
We use a privacy-first questionnaire to match you with someone based on interests, values, humor, and how you like to talk. You bring yourself. We help you connect—with someone worth your time.
“We don’t help you meet anyone. We help you meet the right one—for a real conversation.”
🎯 Why it matters
Loneliness is rising—especially among students, newcomers, and people starting over.
But making friends as an adult is hard.
Group events can feel overwhelming.
Apps are often shallow.
And the kind of person who naturally introduces people? Rare.
That’s where we come in.
We give you what most digital tools don’t:
- A real reason to talk
- A well-chosen conversation partner suggestion
- A simple format
🔍 How it works
You fill out a short set of surveys. We get to know what kind of person you’d click with—and what kind of person you are. When the time is right, you’ll get a personalized suggestion: „Talk to that one.“
Step by Step:
📝 Questionnaire → 🤖 Match algorithm → ☕ Conversation → 💬 Feedback
- Fill in one long and one short questionnaires (takes ~45 minutes for the first one for the profile (reusable), 5 min for the 2nd one for the matching settings (time limited).)
- Wait for a match (once we reach a critical group size)
- Meet for a 1-hour chat—online or in person
This is arranged by the participants using the handles or contact details provided. Safety recommendations are included in the FAQ. - Optional feedback to help us refine the system
🕓 Why it’s worth your time
Most apps burn hours for little connection; this asks for one hour and gives you a real shot.
- One hour beats 20 hours of scrolling — we do the filtering up front.
- No awkward groups — one curated match, not another room of strangers.
- Answer once, reuse forever — your profile carries across future rounds.
Two forms total: Profile 30–45 min (once) + Preferences 5–10 min (update anytime). Matching begins when we reach ~60 local sign-ups.
Why we ask these questions
- Area & affiliations (city, uni, coworking): so we match you close by & in your general social sphere of interest
- Language & age range: so conversation feels easy and comfortable.
- Interests & humor style: to spark a natural opening, not small talk.
- Friendship preferences: to align expectations and friendship mode
- Availability windows & meeting mode: to make the match logistically real.
Your data is used only for matching, editable anytime, stored in the EU, not sold, no ads. Read our Privacy Policy.
🛠 Built with care
This is a non-commercial prototype built by Initiative Gemeinsamkeit.
It runs on secure LimeSurvey infrastructure and a custom match algorithm. LimeSurvey is not elegant or beautiful, but it is opensource and has all the functionality necessary. It is explicitly used by a number of public research institutions such as University of Heidelberg or LMU Klinikum to manage also surveys with medical or personal data content. A potentially validated design could thus be hosted locally by a University, ASTA, Bürgerzentrum or Municipality, to actively support local Connectors while maintaining GDPR.
The remainder is a simple script, calculating and connecting matches suggestions up to a smtp server to mail out notifications.
Join the pilot from August 2025
We’re looking for our first 60 participants in the Heidelberg-Mannheim-Ludwigshafen area. Once we hit that threshold, matching begins.
GDPR & Privacy
- Consent-based & minimal. Used only for matching and research; no commercial use/sale.
- No names or name based emails. Survey data is pseudonymized (Public ID); any optional contact handle is kept separate for your match only.
- Delete early. Match logistics (availability, contact handles) are deleted ≤90 days after collection.
- Control & research. You can withdraw/delete until data are anonymized; anonymous data will be retained for open science.
Sign up. Be open. Talk to that one.
The profile creation questionnaire is now ready and can be used.
A heads-up – it takes about 30-45 minutes to complete and should be filled out on a laptop, PC, or tablet. This questionnaire is only filled out once and is designed to feed the matching algorithm.
The match registration questionnaire should be completable in a maximum of 10 minutes.
This can (and must) be updated from time to time to simply ensure that matches are responded to and that contact details and local match preferences are still current. The basic functionality is „I want to meet people from [Heidelberg/…] who [are at University/ go to Internations / work at SAP / go to Coworking spaces] and [are same gender / up to x years younger/older / …]
Please also note the participant safety instructions and FAQ in the PDF below.
If you have any comments or further questions, please feel free to contact us at talktothatone @ initiative gemeinsamkeit dot de
📍 Who it’s for
We’re starting with people from the local area of Rhein-Neckar (Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen):
- Students of the local universities who are not afraid of a 45 min questionnaire
- International students and newcomers
- Anyone curious, open, and ready for a new kind of conversation
Currently only permitted to be entered at age 18 plus.
Further Information
Here is some updated further information on the process as well as some FAQ. This is the key document that will get updated over time.
Further information for people interested in the project itself and its scientific foundation, as well as for potential cooperation partners can be found here.