I recently came up with a new way to get people involved in Matrix.

You know how people tend to make new group chats to keep in touch with people they met under specific circumstances, like holidays or conferences etc.

Some people even have specific group chats from their gym or sports team.

I thought this can be an opportunity to spread Matrix.

You can recommend going on Matrix when this moment comes up, and help people get set up on the spot.

Or if you are friends you can just pop over and say “let’s set you up for this group chat I have going.”

Don’t get me wrong, it might sound shady and weird at times, especially if you seem too eager to interact with their phones.

But in principle I think it might be a time and place that people might be motivated to procrastinate less, and be more likely to use it. After all such group chats are always silly.

Downsides I already forsee

• Don’t forget to make them store the secret key somewhere safe, where they will also remember storing after the hangover.
• You have to be well-prepared, know exactly what client and homeserver you will point people to, create the group chat yourself, and have the QR-code handy.
• You have to avoid talking points about all the technical advantages and privacy aspect, and stay with the silliness, so choose a client that has an abundance of pre-installed stickers.