Couple  (previously Pair) is an innovative app designed to help couples stay in touch. It’s one among an increasing number of microsocial platforms that cater to small groups rather than large networks. In the case of Couple, it’s a social network of just two. While there is a ton of research on scalable social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter, not much has been done to look at people’s experiences in these small microsocial platforms. We’re seeking to change that! Joshua McVeigh-Schultz and Nancy Baym are conducting a study of relational communication within Couple. 

If you use Couple/Pair, we’re looking for participants to take part in this study. We’re looking for a range of experiences, and participants can be any kind of couple – romantic, friends, parent-child, sibling, whatever!  Right now we’re looking for people who can come to Cambridge, MA in the next few weeks. That said, if one or both of you don’t live near Cambridge MA, but are still interested in this study, please let us know.

By participating in this study, participants would be sharing their Couple timeline with us, but there will be some options to control what and how you share. (We’ll leave it up to you which parts of the Couple timeline you’re willing to share.) All participants will be anonymous and any media we capture from the app will have identifying information removed. As a gesture of gratitude, each participant will receive a gift card of $20.

If you and your partner are interested in participating, please contact Joshua McVeigh-Schultz at t-josmc _at_ Microsoft _dot_ com.

And please feel free to forward this call to your respective networks!