The exciting new social networking app YuTU is pretty unique in that it connects you with people around you who you currently don’t know. People message, interact, arrange help and share free time. It is without the constraints of friend groups or contact lists, so you make new friends and contacts nearby by doing stuff you enjoy with them.

YuTU is only a few weeks old by already people are shaping the platform to achieve what they want to achieve. New users are offering or requesting help for all sorts of things but are also finding companions to share activities with, and in some cases sharing under-used items with others who need them for a short time.

Here are some of the things for which our early users are using the free YuTU app …

 OFFERING AND REQUESTING HELP

• Asking for help with gardening, taken up by people keen to get back outside after lockdown
• Help moving heavy items – moving a wardrobe to another room in one case
• Asking for advice on looking over a CV for a job application – a furloughed HR executive was able to help with this
• A voluntary organisation in Oxford has been recruiting volunteers to help with food distribution to homeless people
• Dry stone walling – someone offered their time to help build a wall in return for learning dry stone walling techniques and traditions
• Learn how to cook curry – which was taken up by someone in Didcot almost immediately
• A lady offering her handywoman skills to people locally – something she enjoys doing anyway
• Maths tuition – a primary school teacher in Bristol who has been furloughed offering maths tuition for free to any children confined at home and struggling. Some locally had been looking for maths tuition online free in desperation! 

 SHARING FREE TIME

• Finding a running partner has been very popular with several people finding people nearby to get fit with
• Offering some time to pick up some shopping and share a cup of tea for a shielding or elderly person
• Hillwalking – someone near Glasgow posted a YuTU looking for a walking companion who was more experienced that themselves to offer guidance
• Someone posted a YuTU near Oxford asking whether someone had a Staffie dog and needed help to walk and some extra cuddles!
• Rugby kicking coaching – a keen rugby player near London posted a YuTU offering this service for free in return for some company of liked-minded enthusiasts and perhaps a pint after!
• An experienced rabbit owner in Edinburgh offered their time for free to advise on husbandry and feeding for new owners

SHARING ITEMS

• A young couple in Edinburgh were looking to borrow a lawn mower for their tiny patch of lawn every couple of weeks (it’s too small to warrant buying one) in return for some gardening help
• Items have been offered free to a ‘good home’ such as a tapestry frame, a new bed, a Pete Sampras tennis racket, a bicycle and some sour dough starter!
• Someone connected with another in Edinburgh looking for ‘book swaps near me’ over the summer and has been connected

 These are just a few examples of now people are using YuTU. The YuTU team keep a close eye on things to ensure new YuTUs fit the purpose and ethos of the platform. We’ll go over the guidelines in a future blog but briefly – YuTU is NOT a classifieds platform! YuTUs should be for good, kind, thoughtful and positive things only, so be considerate of other users’ safety and time, should be for free (although you may charge expenses) and if appropriate they can be reciprocated.

We hope these past and current YuTUs will inspire you to post your first YuTU, but please feel free to try out new ideas, meet new people, and expand your world!

PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU USE YUTU!

hello@yutu.social