At this time of year it’s still common for students to be feeling homesick, unsettled and a bit lost. You haven’t got the comfort of your parents and their seemingly vast knowledge of the world. This is where the new and upcoming website justlefthome.com comes in handy.
The site is created by Tomo Delaney, an English fashion photographer living in New York who describes himself as “a bit too old to be frolicking with supermodels in the Caribbean any more.” Cue the creation of justlefthome.com.
Delaney explains the purpose of the quirky website: “It was originally meant to be a virtual mum: a site that could give you the answers to questions you’d otherwise have asked your parents. Now though, it’s moving much more towards being a location-based social tool. A friend-finder/snog-finder/pub-finder.”
The potential for the site seems to veering towards a dating website as like-minded people can be easily connected and with the development of individual profiles you’re able to see more detailed information about that person. If enough people used justlefthome.com for this purpose those who are unlucky in love can be quickly connected. Delaney comments on this potential: “if people use it as a dating site, that’s great too.”
The site allows you to search your location and find your interests in that city or town posted by others that have uploaded useful links. This is a great tool for any college or university student studying away from home looking for new places to go or new people to meet.
Juatlefthome.com goes beyond being a helpful “cool places” finder: “I think part of the appeal is the fact that you can see and learn so much about people near you. It’s fascinating to discover what music different people like, or where they hang out.” Delaney goes on to say: “You can enter a song or book title in your profile and it’s auto-searched and added by iTunes or Amazon, and then displayed as a clickable link which other members can browse.”
It also provides a “Tips & Advice” section which contains personally recommended links to anything that those who have just left home would find useful. Even the most outgoing and confident university students will struggle for things to do or places to go. The website’s “Members’ Favourites” section lists the day’s top 10 songs, books and sites, so students are never short of new ideas.
Delaney explains further the ideas behind the creation of justlefthome.com: “I just remember how tough it was when I moved to London, and again when I moved to New York. If I’d had a way of finding some new mates to go and watch the football with, or a way of finding out where the best neighbourhood pub was, life would have been easier.” This is something that almost every student can relate to.
The website also contains unique videos on “how to boil an egg” using sock puppets to demonstrate, and the pages are filled with hand-drawn content. Delaney explains why: “I’m amazed that hand-drawn sites are still so rare. It’s such an obvious way of making something stand out.”
When asked what’s next, Delaney clearly states that this isn’t the end of his website creations, just the beginning of a small empire: “If all goes to plan, justlefthome will be the first in a family of justleft niche networking sites. The next to launch will be justleftthecloset.com, for young gay and lesbian kids, followed hopefully by justleftschool (kids), justleftwork (retirees), justleftarms (ex forces), and justleftalone (divorcees).”