Short answer
Before meeting someone from a help app, ask: is the place public and lit right now, does someone else know where I am going, am I sharing more location than I need to, is the conversation still in the app, do I have a way to leave, and does anything feel off. Any single no is a reason to stop.
The facts, in one place
- Run the six questions before you are standing in front of anyone.
- Any single no is a reason to stop.
- Leaving early needs no explanation.
- In danger, call 911.
Why a list and not advice
Advice evaporates under social pressure. A checklist survives it, because you ran it before you were standing in front of anyone and before politeness started arguing with your judgment.
What the app does on its side
Helping needs a current review by our team. Requests show a rough area rather than a pin. Chat is private between two people. Report and block are always present. That is a real floor, and it is not a substitute for the six questions above. Helpers can apply to be reviewed by our team. Help Me does not run background checks. You can report or block any member at any time.
Help Me is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number.
The list
- 1
Is this place public and lit right now?
Not at noon, right now. Lots empty, buildings lock, and a good spot at three is a bad spot at eleven.
- 2
Does anyone else know where I am?
One text to one person: where, who, and when you expect to be done. It costs nothing.
- 3
Am I sharing more location than I need to?
A rough area is the default and it is usually enough. Precise sharing is opt-in and ends with the request.
- 4
Is the conversation still in the app?
In-app chat keeps report and block meaningful and keeps your phone number yours.
- 5
Report and block are one tap away, and leaving early needs no explanation and no apology.
- 6
That is enough. You do not owe anyone the benefit of the doubt at your own expense, and 911 exists if it is more than a feeling.
Questions people actually ask
No. Ending an interaction is always allowed, and nobody is entitled to an explanation.
Always fine. Nothing about Help Me expects you to show up alone.
Stop, and change the plan: a different place, a different hour, or a different tool.
Keep going
- Ground rulesThe ground rules, said plainlyHow Help Me handles your location, who can help, private chat, and meeting in public. Plus how to report or block anyone. Help Me is not an emergency service.
- GuideHow to meet someone new, with your head on straightMeet in public, keep exact location off until you agree, and use report and block. How to meet a neighbor from Help Me, plus when to call 911 instead.
- AnswerWhat happens when you meet someone?How meeting works: a private chat, a public place, a rough map area, a review for helpers, and report and block in every request. Plus what stays on you.
- AnswerWhere should I meet someone?In a public place, in daylight when you can: a store entrance, a library lobby, a campus union, or a busy lot. Never a doorstep or a stranger's car.
- GlossaryMeet in publicPublic places are the default on Help Me. You choose the label: a store entrance, a campus union, a busy lot. Never a doorstep or a stranger's car.
Help Me is a community app for adults in Fargo–Moorhead. It is not a K–12 student program, not a youth chat, and not campus police.