Local Circles.Com – World’s first comprehensive local social network for improving citizens’ daily life launches out of Delhi NCR
New Delhi, India, March 4, 2013 – LocalCircles (www.localcircles.com) the world’s first comprehensive local social network for daily life, announced today the invitation based availability of its free online platform for citizens of Delhi NCR. This unique platform launched by the Honorable Chief Minister of Delhi, Mrs. Sheila Dikshit, allows a citizen to connect with all of their local communities (neighbors, colleagues, parents/teachers, local friends/family and common interest locals) in one place, easily find credible local information (finding a trusted pediatrician, a or how to get their child admitted to a particular school) and easily seek emergency assistance (fire, medical, women safety, blood) from their local communities.
On this occasion, Mrs. Dikshit said “LocalCircles is the need of the hour in cities like Delhi/NCR” It is very important for both young and old people to know who their neighbors are. There is no better system to launch today in Delhi/NCR than LocalCircles, continued Mrs. Dikshit.
She said, “Delhi has a participative governance model where 3000 plus RWAs come together from all parts of society. LocalCircles will add a new dimension by bringing a much more effective way for the RWAs and citizens in a neighborhood to communicate with each other. It is a great forward looking initiative and I am excited about it”. Mrs. Dikshit continued, saying “LocalCircles will make available important critical information that a citizen needs but does not have the knowledge where to get it from”. She said, this is a great step forward for Delhi/NCR and I thank LocalCircles for picking Delhi/NCR as the first place in the world to launch it.
With LocalCircles, residents in a society or neighborhood, parents/teachers/administrators in a school, colleagues in a work place or locals with common interests (Expats, RWA Presidents and many others) can connect with each other through closed local social networks. Alternatively, a citizen can connect with all of their local communities described above, find credible information and seek assistance when needed from one or all of their communities.
“With what we have seen so far in our trials in Delhi/NCR, we are bringing back the sense of community which used to exist when our cities were small,” said Sachin Taparia, Chairman and Managing Director of LocalCircles. “If you can keep in touch with all the residents of your colony/society using your mobile phone, a lot of good things can happen. When one neighbor asks his neighborhood community about a Good Pediatrician, he is getting answers and phone numbers and ratings from his neighbors within minutes. If someone has a medical emergency, they or a family member can go on their mobile phone and broadcast it to their neighborhood and even an external agency like a hospital close by. In that moment of emergency, a couple of neighbors on your doorstep can be a big help.” He further added.
As Per Mr. Taparia, a platform like LocaCircles empowers the citizen and the community. Previously, a service provider could easily cheat with a resident in a colony/society and move on to the next house within the same colony. Through LocalCircles trials, we have observed a lot of people coming out and warning their communities about certain businesses and service providers. They are also giving rave reviews about good businesses. “The platform enables visibility for good businesses and drives accountability for the bad ones, something much needed in our society”
The entire LocalCircles platform has been designed with daily life, real identities and a trusted network in mind, said Mukesh Gupta, President and CEO of LocalCircles. To ensure everyone is registered with their real names, addresses and contact details, they have to be invited either by LocalCircles or by an existing LocalCircles user. LocalCircles selects neighborhoods, schools and workplaces based on demographics or user requests and then invites all the members within these communities via a personalized invitation that includes a unique sign up code. The unique sign up code ensures that a Defense Colony resident only joins the Defense colony Neighborhood network and not the Friends Colony network, said Mr. Gupta. Once the user is registered they can find their Work Place, School and other Interest based circles.
Discovery of local people based on commonalities is also a significant aspect of the LocalCircles platform. The unique recommendation technology of LocalCircles proactively connects people based on where they live, where they work, where their kids go to school, their interests and location, said Abhishek Gupta, CTO of LocalCircles. Two individuals who live in the same society in Noida and work a kilometer apart in Gurgaon will easily discover each other and get a recommendation for car-pooling, said Mr. Gupta. This could have a positive impact on city traffic once the platform is made available to a broader set of citizens in Delhi NCR. Another unique application of LocalCircles is when citizens are looking for a business or service. Being able to find the provider recommended by one of your trusted locals on your mobile phone when you actually need that service can be very handy, continued Mr. Gupta. There are now close to 2000 local businesses listed on LocalCircles and the best part is, a business cannot pay to be listed on LocalCircles, they have to be good.
Soon, LocalCircles will reach out to citizens of Delhi NCR via their neighborhood, workplace or child’s school. Priority requests for getting LocalCircles may be submitted by signing up on www.localcircles.com. LocalCircles is free, secure and mobile friendly.
