Your "couch-surfing" personality test

App Features
#1

This suggestion was generated during a recent meeting I led, and I absolutely loved it.

What if when filling out your profile you did a simple personality test, something that might imitate a Myers-Briggs that weighs certain couchsurfing “variables” instead of the classic ones. (I.e, instead of introvert/extrovert, feeling/thinking you could do host/guest, organizing/attending, friendly/flirty, careful/spontaneous) or any other combination of typical traits. Of course you could take the test as much as you like if you’re not exactly pleased with the outcome, and there wouldn’t be any Inherently bad variables.

If we could pull this off, I feel like we’d have something…

  • Super unique in the hospex context, could even go a bit viral among the communities, especially reeling back those who have moved on from hospex
  • that Could help in weeding out low-effort users (aka dating spammers) who would not want to fill out a questionnaire or put much thought into the sign up
  • could give users another way to filter for likeminded people (or opposites!)

If I’m a Spontaneous Flirty Organizing Host, maybe I’d be happier spending time with a Careful Flirty Attendee Guest. Just an example but omg, cute. At the same time, if you’re a Careful Friendly Organizing Guest, you might seek more of the same so that you can organize together.

We have often talked about what might attract more women to the platform and I gotta say this was a huge hit with my female-identifying network. If it’s something we could consider doing I could see it adding a lot of fun, and perhaps even a more lighthearted and whimsy aspect.

Special shout out to @aleehnay who originally floated this idea!

5 Likes
Should we have dedicated features for LGBT+ members?
#2

opposites attract :wink:

as long as it can be completely ignored I’m fine with it.

3 Likes
#3

Would love an explanation on why you’d want to ignore it.

#4

I would want to be able to ignore it because personality tests are more of a ‘fun’ thing and are only of limited use in actually telling you what someone is like.

I’d personally go even further than ignoring it - I wouldn’t want it to be too prominent. Like not in search results

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#5

I’m not a low-effort user, but I’m concerned about privacy and don’t like feeding databases. If it would be part of the sign-up or framed as a general indicator on how comitted I am to hospex, it would probably drive me away from the entire platform :smile:

I’m also not so convinced how a lighthearted and whimsy approach will work. At the same time we put a lot of effort into filtering out abusive users. In the end we end up with a lighthearted self-painted portrait on the front and a community painted portrait of all the possibly inherently bad variables on the back? So someone sees themselves as the attentive flirty host, but they are also an unhinged creep? :innocent: :face_with_monocle:

1 Like
#6

While that’s your opinion and a lot of people may have it, I absolutely disagree. A carefully planned questionnaire with variables that pertain directly to people’s typical behavior can be really useful. There’s a reason that workplaces, counselors, and schools use these kinds of tests!

Think out of the box here, guys. On another thread people are suggesting that a “Didn’t expect sex” option to be left by a reviewer is better than asking a new user from the get go if they’d be interested in hooking up? I don’t see how the former prevents any unwanted contact, while the latter could help people avoid “types” they don’t like while still being fun and not condescending.

Well that’s kinda the point. Anyone who answers questions to get the flirty stamp is probably going to be avoided by people who would find that creepy. Meanwhile, other unhinged creeps have a better chance at finding each other… ha ha ha

1 Like
#7

Here are some more sample kind of questions, sorry if the examples I gave before seemed to outlandish for your conservative tastes :slight_smile:

Responses would be “agree/neutral/disagree” styles

  1. I would enjoy spending time with my hosts
  2. I prefer to do my own thing when I travel
  3. I would be comfortable sharing a sleeping surface with my guest / host
  4. I like to party / am interested in nightlife

Yeah you can argue that you wouldn’t want to share this kind of personal information or “populate a database” but why would we store it? Your type could be generated and the data erased :tipping_hand_woman:t3:

#8

I definitely see the motivation here, but I really don’t see this playing out in any way other than everyone saying that they’re not flirty. E.g. women with a ‘flirty’ label get bombarded with requests from men, most turn it off. Men turn it off as it turns everyone away.

Unfortunately the reason is marketing :confused: There is little evidence to support the popular tests (e.g. Myers Briggs) have validity. I worry the same thing would happen here if we were to basket people into categories that aren’t really true. Also people are notoriously wrong about judging their own behaviour on these kind of tests.

Aren’t these the kind of questions are ones we’d more want to see answered on profiles?

I’m not necessarily against something like this, especially if it’s something that would improve the experience for women. I just think it’s something that needs to be really well thought out, especially seeing that I think a lot of people would be reluctant to fill it out

5 Likes
#9

Same with me. But reluctance to fill it out will also be about extrovert-introvert tastes. If you’re more extrovert you probably enjoy putting out a lot of self-assigned information upfront. Introverts can find this just intimidating and tend to overthink it as well. Like when I tick/say I like to go out, then I’ll have to live up to it, though I actually don’t know if I’ll be in the mood at all…

Anyways, will erase this personal information about myself after it generated a response :innocent:

1 Like
#10

Which is exactly why we need it? If it’s something people would want to turn off, that’s probably a good indication that they’re in the wrong place…

#12

These kind of questions seem like they could be good!

I don’t understand what you mean. I was reading Itsi’s comment as saying the people who should have said “I am flirty” will just lie, defeating the purpose.

#13

This is a bit of an unfair statement to make. I’ll be honest, I understand the concept behind this idea, but if it was in place, I wouldn’t partake in it - not because I have shady intentions, but I’m just not interested in being matched to users that way.

But you know, it’s kind of a personal thing and maybe it’s an idea worth exploring in the future, if enough people think it could work.

#14

I don’t see it as being “matched” at all. It would just be a a quick way for you to see some added details about the person, like if they see themselves as particularly social or if they are less likely to show you around.

Think of it as a quick snapshot into how they use the platform.

2 Likes
#15

Look I don’t see why we have to complicate things.

When you sign up to Couchers.org for the first time to create your profile ask the following: (example)

Are you intending to use this site to potentially hook up with Guests?*
Yes
No

*please note that depending on the answer on this question we will either be matching your profile with potential hosts/guests, or not.

If answered NO , would you like that we remove all profiles who answerd to YES from your search results, and from you coming up in search results for those who answered YES?

It can probably be polished up a bit, but basically, no need to beat about the bush. We are honest, trustworthy, and transparant, lets be just that.

?

edit: I don’t know why there is a change in font type, but please ignore it =)

1 Like
#16

my idea is that it will create a safer space for female hosts and guests by completing filtering our potentially creeps from the get-go.

They won’t be recieing requests from people who answered yes, and the people who answered yes won’t be showing up in their host search.

1 Like
#17

This doesn’t sit too well with me tbh, feels like you are validating this kind of behaviour - which as discussed previously is what i thought we were trying to avoid. Using a travelling/hosting app for hooking up is predatory behaviour in my opinion.

1 Like
#18

I like your intention with this though, but i wonder if a lot of people would just lie also. I think with the questionaire idea it could more subtly figure out people’s intentions (Without giving them the easy option to see what you are doing and lie, or be unselfaware lol) and find people with red flags and filter them out that way. But again I would like to still have a “not a dating app” style message regardless so that the expectations of the app are clear.

6 Likes
#19

Yeah, I mean from what I have read in the different forums is that people are still open to that idea and will still use it for hooking up, or at least not be against a hook-up if it happened.

I don’t think people would lie in this very basic question: the only “penalty” they will receive is just being blocked from users who are not interested in that kind of experience, and if anything that is an advantage for them and their intentions. It could at leat let us internally note who to flag as high-risk creep, but then genuine folk might click yes cause, heck, why not!

This is certainly the way to move forward, and I will continue this brainstorm!

#20

Well yes ofcourse there are, this wouldn’t be an issue otherwise lol! But I stand by that this shouldn’t be tolerable behaviour and is absolutely predatory, for a few reasons:

  • it is not presented as a dating app, so mutual expectation of a platonic interaction is broken (also taking advantage of meeting people who would have otherwise rejected them on a dating app)
  • it is targeted at foreign people who are often travelling alone, also unfamiliar to the country/culture/language, probably have no connections anywhere nearby, hence they are very vulnerable (maybe even no wifi)
  • in the case of hosting is inviting these people into your HOME who do not know you and are trusting you to keep them comfortable and safe, and may have a hard time leaving safely if something were to happen past daytime hours, or if you were in a remote location, dodgy part of town etc.
  • Often appeals to people wanting to find particular ethnicities/fetishising - for example using it to meet western women as they are perceived in x country as being “easy”

There is no other reason why one could not simply use any of the many and varied dating apps available. (Including ones to meet internationals!)

And again, before the people come out saying “adults are allowed to hook up” and “I met the love of my life on Cs”, again I’m talking about using the app FOR hooking up/dating. This is very different to incidentally meeting someone special (either for long or short term).

Sorry for my 100th long post on this but just trying to reiterate the core of what we are trying to address here! And I feel like there aren’t many voices here to speak up on it. And hence why I think it’s important to heed the experience of the voices who have actually frequently experienced these issues and genuinely understand the problem. :blush:

(Not meant to attack you at all mama bloss by the way, just want to retort your small comment for other users to see :grin::innocent:)

8 Likes
#21

no worries at all, my dear :smile: :hug:

1 Like