Speedfriending is the new word and a new way to make friends fast this fall on College Campuses and in major cities

(Sept. 13, 2007) New York, NY- When college frosh look in their new Oxford dictionaries this September, they will see an original new word…speedfriending. Invented by social networking guru and quoted notable on the topic, Jared Nissim, This new word describes the quickest way to make a lot of friends in a little time,” says Nissim.

Speedfriending had its fast-lane start in 2005 after Nissim attended a speed dating event and wondered how this model could be adapted to making friends rather than finding romantic connections. Since 2001, he'd been coordinating all kinds of gatherings that aim to build friendship and community through his organization, The Lunch Club (www.thelunchclub.com), and was always looking for new and creative ways to help people connect with each other. Speedfriending quickly became a staple activity of the New York City-based club that now also operates in Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, DC, London, and Dublin.

Nissim has developed a simple, easy-to-duplicate system that helps organizations run their own effective and productive speedfriending events. This season Nissim is now expanding his speedfriending endeavors to college campuses. He will be introducing information on the program at Wentworth College’s student block party September 19, an event that offers information to all the Boston college students in the Fenway Massachusetts area.

"New college freshman are overwhelmed with getting settled into college life. It can be scary and intimidating. But, this is the time when everyone is looking to make new friends, and this is a great way to meet a lot of potentials in a very short amount of time. Now, we have created an easy, structured program that lets colleges offer their own speedfriending events, using all the tools our website," says Nissim.

This quick-start program for college clubs, student associations and other educational groups teaches the basics of setting up local speedfriending events. Many colleges around the country are already catching on to the frenzy. Even other social networking clubs have picked up on the basic idea and are inviting folks to participate. Nissim is also planning two major speedfriending events this October in Boston and NYC. Details are on his website.

"It's all pretty simple once you have the basic formula to make it happen," says Nissim, who also offers a free checklist of how to create an event on www.speedfriending.com. "It has become kind of a universal opportunity to make friends," he says. I really hope that it helps college students and other social groups jump on board to make it happen in their own community. Nissim is offering a short course on speedfriending basics and the how to's of social networking and is working on his first book on the topic this fall. "I have found, over the last six years of working with communities around the world on social networking, that people really do need a little structure to get them motivated. My speedfriending program provides that chance for them."

Jared Nissim has been featured in national and international multi-media over the last six years since he founded www.thelunchclub.com and www.meettheneighbors.org. His social networking career sprung from early craigslist exposure and has grown to reach more than 25,000 members in major cities around the globe. His ability and professional insight in creating the forum for people to meet has positively impacted the lives of thousands. His newest inspiration with the creation of speedfriending has already become a catalyst for change in the way socializing in groups and clubs is initiated and has even become accepted as a new word in the prestigious Oxford dictionary.

For more information on Jared Nissim, speedfriending and The Lunch Club, or to engage Nissim as a speaker or consultant for your group, please go to the above websites or contact him directly at jared@thelunchclub.com.
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