Why SquareChat?

Why SquareChat exists

SquareChat did not start as a business plan. It started with an idea I had seen somewhere else.

On another website, there used to be a form of online gathering that I really enjoyed. It was actually an extra feature there, not the main purpose of that site. Still, a steady group of people began to form, people who were online almost every day. People got to know each other, talked to each other, and together created an atmosphere that made you want to come back.

I am still in touch with some of the people from that time.

At some point, that concept disappeared. I do not know exactly why; I can only guess. What I do know is that I missed it. Not just the technical side, but especially the feeling that came with it: dropping in, seeing people, talking, laughing, sometimes having serious conversations, and then moving on again.

I always hoped for the format to return somehow, and when it didn't, I started asking myself: why don't I build something like that myself? I have been interested in computers and the internet since I was a young boy, so the knowledge to do so was there.

I decided to keep the parts I liked and ditch the parts I didn't. After that, other ideas came naturally. What SquareChat should look like. What kind of atmosphere I wanted. Which rules would be needed. And what I definitely did not want.

That is how SquareChat came into being. Not because I thought the world was waiting for yet another platform, but because I believe online contact can be more human, fairer and calmer.

Why SquareChat stays ad-free

SquareChat was not built to make me rich.

That has been true from the very first line of code, and it is still true now. Advertising might generate income, but that has never been my motivation.

I want SquareChat to come alive. I want people to come in, enjoy it, feel welcome and want to come back. Not because an algorithm is trying to keep them hooked. Not because ads are being shoved down their throats. Not because their attention has to make money.

We already see enough advertising everywhere. It adds nothing to the atmosphere I want to build with SquareChat.

Why teens and adults stay separate

I think most people will understand why teens and adults should stay separate. Still, I want to explain why this is so important for SquareChat.

I was raised with the rule: “When grown-ups are talking, children keep quiet.” I thought that was nonsense then, and I still think so now. Children and teenagers are individuals too. They have their own thoughts, opinions and feelings. Those matter.

But children and teenagers do not need to be involved in everything adults are doing or discussing. They should be able to be children. They should be able to be teenagers. That period is valuable, even if you often only realize that later.

Even so, that is not even the main reason for the separation within SquareChat.

The main reason is safety.

The internet is amazing. You have access to almost all the information in the world. You can meet people you would otherwise never speak to. You can learn, laugh, discover and connect.

But the internet can also be dangerous, precisely because everyone has access to it. And unfortunately, some people have bad intentions. People who exploit others. Think of scams, manipulation, grooming or sextortion.

I am a father myself. I do not want to imagine my children becoming victims of that.

That is why I absolutely do not want SquareChat to become a place where children or teenagers are exposed to unnecessary risk. The separation between teens and adults is not a detail. It is a hard line.

Why clear rules are needed

That is the core.

SquareChat should be fun and welcoming. As far as I am concerned, you may push boundaries. You may have dark humor and make bad jokes. You may have strong opinions. You do not always have to agree with each other, because that would be boring too.

But freedom here does not mean that everything should be allowed.

Freedom only works when others do not trample over your boundaries.

What we are not going to do is tear people down for who they are. Not because of religion, background, skin color, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability or any other personal reason.

You may disagree. You may not understand something. You may be critical. But you still treat everyone as a human being.

The rules of SquareChat are not there to ruin the fun. They are there to make sure normal people feel safe enough to take part.

What SquareChat does not want to become

SquareChat grew from a simple idea: online contact can be smaller, more direct and more human.

I wanted to build a place where people can simply talk to each other. Where you can get to know each other. Where you do not disappear into a huge anonymous crowd. Where clear boundaries apply, so people do not think they can get away with anything just because nobody really sees them.

On many large platforms it feels different to me. It is often crowded, anonymous, loud or designed to keep you there for as long as possible. I do not want to name them, because SquareChat does not need to exist by pointing at others.

SquareChat needs its own identity.

Not a clone. Not an advertising machine. Not a place where anything goes. Not a digital dumping ground where normal people eventually leave because the loudest voices take over the atmosphere.

SquareChat should be a place where one thing is clear: everyone is welcome, but not everything is welcome.