Hyphos was featured on socalTECH.com with an interview between socalTECH founder Benjamin Kuo and Hyphos’ Alex Capecelatro. Read the article here.
Click to read interview
Interview on socalTECH.com
Hyphos Launches to UCLA
Hyphos is now officially open to UCLA!
UCLA students can now get access to the site by clicking the big blue button below. We value your opinion and insight in making our site a better place, so please share your feedback on Hyphos!
If you’re not at UCLA, don’t worry! You can still sign up to be put on our email list, and we’ll let you know as soon as we’re in your area!
In the meantime, we want to get to know YOU!
UCLA, comment and tell us what’s your favorite thing to do in Los Angeles? And to our patiently waiting friends outside LA, where do you think Hyphos should come next?
What do I like to do in LA? Call me stereotypical, but I love hanging out at the beach--there's nothing like a cool breeze and the smell of the ocean!
UCLA Volunteer Day 2011
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today, thousands of new UCLA Bruins and UCLA Alumni came together to volunteer in the Los Angeles community for UCLA Volunteer Day. As someone who has had more volunteer positions than paid jobs, it’s really wonderful to see UCLA encouraging and fostering a sense of civic duty and community involvement in Bruins.
As students, often our primary concerns are what the margins of our paper should look like, whether we’ll be able to get that research position, or what classes we should be taking. Don’t get me wrong, those are all important. However, it’s vital that we keep in mind and maintain perspective on the issues that affect our local and global environment. We should be thinking of how we can use our experiences and education to make UCLA, Los Angeles, and heck, the world, a better place.
Volunteering doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re working at a soup kitchen, or filing piles of paperwork for a nonprofit. You may be helping with wildlife preservation, finding different applications for novel technology, or simply providing emotional support to those who need it. The opportunities are endless! Take your interests—no, take your passions—and apply them to something that will help make an impression, no matter how small. You’d be surprised how much you learn.
While at UCLA, I volunteered with Students for Community Outreach and Prevention Education (SCOPE). We worked to combat childhood obesity and encourage healthy habits by teaching Los Angeles 5th graders about fitness and nutrition.
We are fortunate in Los Angeles to live in such an incredibly diverse area that provides so many opportunities and perspectives. However, the city comes with incredible health disparities, environmental issues, and an often-overlooked lack of access to basic needs. UCLA Volunteer day gives students exposure to a variety of organizations and ways in which they can get involved.
So grab a couple friends (or make a couple new ones) and think of an issue that you care about. If there isn’t already a group that works in what you’re interested in, start one! The sky’s the limit.
Did you volunteer today? Share your stories and photos from UCLA Volunteer Day 2011 on Hyphos! If you missed out or just can’t get enough of volunteering, head over to Hyphos to find others who care about your cause. You can also post or learn about upcoming volunteering events there.
Hyphos Featured in UCLA Daily Bruin
Check out the UCLA Daily Bruin article featuring Hyphos!
Click to read article
Breaking the Ice: Small Talk
I came to UCLA like most Freshman, filled with delusions of straight A’s and an eagerness to make friends. My floor in Rieber Hall was especially integral to helping my transition to UCLA, and while I met many wonderful people, the majority didn’t share my interests, and I was still looking for my niche.
But by the end of my second year I had figured it out, and well, I was sort of a social butterfly (well, maybe more like a small reasonably social moth). What skill did I master to break out of my cocoon?
Two words: Small talk.
I know, I know, small talk is shallow, superficial, and something you do when you’re forced to make conversation. But it’s a great tool for breaking the ice. Lets say you see that kid in your chemistry class reading a novel you like, you go up to them and in your least creepy voice say, “Oh my goodness, I just finished reading that book! I love it! Hey, you’re in my class right?” And there you have it, a friendship blossoms.
Ever wonder if your new friend could be sitting right next to you?
Break the ice! Engage them in some small talk!
I have friends who swear that small talk is so annoying, cursing those who so much as whisper “hi” on an elevator. People tend to think of small talk as a type of painful social entrapment. I understand, sometimes you just don’t want to talk to people, fair enough. But small talk doesn’t have to be annoying, or superficial, or awkward. You don’t make small talk just to talk. You make small talk to get to know someone, to be friendly, and even if it is just for a few moments, to try and make someone smile.
Here are some tips for breaking the ice with small talk:
- Be relevant–Talk about something that you have in common. You see someone wearing your high school sweatshirt—approach them! Wouldn’t YOU want to know if someone went to your Alma matter?
- Don’t push it—If the person does not feel like talking, give it a break. Its okay there will be other friends.
- Be genuine—You’re not trying to sell anything, you’re not trying to impress someone, you’re just trying to make a new friend!
- Keep in touch—This is a good rule in general with friendship. You could have met an awesome person to play tennis with, but it wouldn’t be much fun if you didn’t kept in touch with them.
Give small talk a chance, it’s not just for awkward elevator rides and I’ve made some lifelong friendships because of it. Seriously, small talk can be pretty damn big.
Welcome to the blog!
Welcome to the official Hyphos blog! We’re extremely excited to be launching soon! This blog will serve as a venue for our thoughts and ideologies, shared social stories, and occasional insider information/product giveaways. Below is a look into why we started Hyphos and what we’re going to do.
While it has come a long way, we believe the Internet is falling short on one very important issue: social discovery. More and more we’re building networks around the people we know. Facebook and Google+ include our friends and family. Twitter the people we choose to follow.
But how do you engage with new people? What if you move to a new town and want to find a cycling buddy, or a bassist for your band, or a group to go hiking with? What if you simply want to interact with someone at the airport. How do you break the social barrier and make the interaction easier? More meaningful? This is what we’re doing with Hyphos. Through an interest + location based platform, we’re creating a system where people can discover others around them. We like to say Hyphos is the closest group of friends you never knew you had.