Somewhere right now, a freethinker in Kampala is reading the same article as someone in Toronto. A humanist in Colombo shares your love of chess. An atheist in Lagos laughs at the same jokes you do. You just haven’t met yet.
That’s why we built a new feature on our homepage: Make a new friend.
Every time you visit, it shows you three fellow members of our community, picked at random. You’ll see their photo, their name, a few lines about who they are, and a button to send a friend request. Not your type? Click “Show me other freethinkers” and meet three new people.
How to take part
It takes two minutes.
- Log in. The new friends only appear for members who are logged in. That keeps our members’ profiles away from bots and strangers, which matters to us. You can log in with your password, or with Google or Facebook.
- Upload a profile photo. Only members with their own photo are shown. Go to your profile, click Profile, then Change Profile Photo. It doesn’t have to be your face. A picture of your dog, your garden or your favourite book works just as well. If showing your face isn’t safe where you live, please don’t. Your safety comes first.
- Write a few lines about yourself. What drives you? What are you reading? What’s the question you can’t stop thinking about? Those first sentences appear on your card, and they’re what makes someone click “Add Friend”.
New photos appear in the selection within about an hour.
Why this matters
Many of our members live in places where saying “I don’t believe” or “I’m gay” out loud can cost them their family, their job or their freedom. For some, this community is the only place where they can be themselves. A friend request from someone on another continent might feel like a small thing to you. To them it can mean: you are not alone.
And for all of us, it’s simply a good thing to step outside our own bubble. You might find that a teacher in Nepal and a nurse in Ohio have more in common than either expected.
A few ground rules
Be curious, be kind, and be respectful, especially when you disagree. Never ask people where exactly they live or push them to share more than they want to. If a profile or message feels off, let us know and we’ll look into it.
So log in, upload that photo, and say hello to someone new today.
The Freethinkers International team
