Finding Neighbors With Niche Interests

On the Internet, it’s quite easy to find people with similar interests.   When I first started thinking about building out a mesh network in my neighborhood, a quick search led me to the Toronto Mesh, a very active group which actively contributes to the global mesh building community.  But no active members live near me.

In a smaller area, you might know all of your neighbors, but it would be unlikely that you would find someone with the same interest.

My neighborhood is densely populated - how do I find people who might be interested in dabbling around with a WiFi mesh?  First, I reached out to someone that I knew might be interested.  This is the best way - we immediately connected our networks, and our mesh grew to two nodes.

Next, I posted to Facebook.  Unfortunately, the subset of my Facebook connections in my neighborhood don’t overlap with my technology connections.

I printed a few signs and posted them on some community bulletin boards, which did not generate any response.  I decided I would try a small mailing, targeting the apartment and condo units within WiFi range of my unit.

I’ve sent out 47 postcards over the past week - I mailed some to a neighboring building, and hand delivered others, hoping I might get a response from one or two.  So far, no such luck.  Given the lack of a compelling application, and the attention I pay to all the material we receive in our mailbox, the limited response is not a complete surprise.

I’m not sure what I’ll try next.