glossary
Meet in public
A well-lit lot, a union, a coffee shop on Broadway. Public is the default because a stranger is still a stranger, even with a current approval.
Why public is the default
Staff-reviewed identity evidence is a human look at who someone says they are. It is not a guarantee of character, and it is not a background check. Meeting where other people exist — a grocery vestibule, a campus union, a well-lit commercial lot — is the remaining common sense.
You name the place
A public meeting-place label is optional on the request, and you can still sort it in private chat. Downtown Broadway is walkable and public. So are campus unions at NDSU, MSUM, and Concordia. Gooseberry Park after dark is beautiful and often the wrong call. Pick lit, populated ground.
Leave if you need to
Safety actions sit one tap away in every request. Report or block anyone, any time. If you are in danger, call 911 first. Do not stay in a parking lot to finish a polite sentence.
Questions people actually ask
Do I have to post my address?
No. Meet in public. Share exact location only after a helper accepts, and only if you want to.
What counts as public?
A place other people could reasonably walk into — a grocery, a union, a coffee shop, a busy lot. Not a basement, not a dark cul-de-sac, not a locked residence hall room.
Does approval mean I can meet at home?
You choose. The product default and the honest advice are public places. A current approval is not a reason to ignore that.
Keep going
trust
Safety, said plainly
Approximate location, approved helpers only, private chat, public meeting places, and report/block tools. Help Me is not 911.
glossary
Safety actions
Help Me keeps report, block, and related safety tools one tap away in every request. Meet in public. This is not 911.
glossary
Approved helper
An approved helper on Help Me has current, staff-reviewed identity evidence. Anyone can join. Not everyone can help. This is not a background check.
glossary
Private chat
Help Me opens a private chat only between you and the helper who accepted. Nobody else is in the thread. Messages are not a public feed.
safety
How to stay safe while asking for a hand
Meet in public, keep exact location off until you consent, and use report and block. Help Me is not 911 — call official help first if you are in danger.
safety
Help Me is not 911
Help Me is for everyday, non-emergency help in Fargo–Moorhead. If you are in danger, call 911. Here is how to tell the difference.
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.