Faithbuddy connects Christians online
STEINBACH, MB—A local entrepreneur has created a social networking site aimed specifically at Christians. Faithbuddy.com bills itself as "a Christ-centred devotional and social networking platform."
The site includes unique features for prayer, so that Christians can share prayer requests with one another. The site emphasizes privacy, so prayer requests can be shared as privately or as openly as users wish.
Trent Coroy, the site's founder, began developing the idea in 2004. He wanted to use the technology that was being developed at the time for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and find a good way for Christian groups to use it.
"We wanted to create something to allow Christians to connect through prayer [online]—to easily come together and pray through common themes," Coroy says. As he states on the site, "At its heart, Faithbuddy is a global online house of prayer."
Coroy adds that one of his concerns about other social networking sites are the privacy settings.
"One of our big objectives from the beginning was to develop technology that would allow people to have better control over their privacy [on Faithbuddy]."
At the beginning of January, Coroy launched a public test version of Faithbuddy. The site is also in the midst of a crowdsource campaign to raise funds so that it does not need to depend on advertisers for revenue.
For as little as $1, backers get immediate access to Faithbuddy during the public test period, as well as art, music and books created by Canadian Christian artists, musicians and writers.
Coroy says that eventually, the site will include group features to support organizations like churches, colleges, schools, camps, missions groups and other ministries.
He is excited about the project.
"I think once people get on and use it, it's likely to grow pretty fast."
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