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How does matching actually work?
No public feed, no auction, no queue. A short list of people who could actually come.
Short answer
When you post a request, Help Me privately considers approved helpers who are online, suitable for that category, recently active, and not blocked by either person. Up to ten eligible helpers may receive a short-lived offer, and the first one to accept gets the request. When both people share matching location, offers stay within about 10 km of your rounded area.
The facts, in one place
- Up to ten helpers may see a short-lived offer.
- Filters: approval, online, category fit, recent activity, no block.
- First eligible accept takes it; there is no bidding.
- Distance is judged from your rounded area, not a precise pin.
Why it is private
A public feed of who needs help turns a bad morning into a permanent record. Offers are short-lived and targeted, so your request reaches the people who could plausibly show up and nobody else.
What makes a match more likely
Density and timing. Near campus in the evening there are simply more approved helpers awake and close by than in a rural township at three in the morning. Choosing the right category matters too, because eligibility is filtered by it.
Questions people actually ask
Can helpers browse all requests?
No. There is no open list of requests to scroll. Offers are sent, short-lived, and specific.
Do helpers see my exact position?
Not from an offer. They see the rounded area. Precise location comes later, only if you consent.
Keep going
glossary
Matching
Help Me matching privately offers a request to eligible approved helpers who are online, suitable, recently active, and not blocked — not a public feed.
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How Help Me works
Ask in a sentence. Approved helpers nearby see it. One accepts. You chat privately and meet in public. Four steps — that is the entire ask.
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What if nobody accepts my request?
The request closes after up to two hours and you can post again. Nobody is obligated to accept, and official services are the right call for anything urgent.
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Who can see my location on Help Me?
Live requests show an approximate area of about 500 meters. Exact location is opt-in after a helper accepts, shared only with that person, and ends when the request closes.
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Helpers show up
Apply in the app, submit identity evidence, wait on a staff decision. Current approval is required before you can see or accept requests in Fargo–Moorhead.
glossary
Online status
Approved Help Me helpers choose when to go online. Offline, leaving the app, accepting, or going quiet removes you from active matching.
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.