This is likely to be a common enquiry type for many people.

We start with the assumption that both parties have equal status, and that they are both interested in sharing friendship, relationship, activity, or interest. There are many motives and reasons why people should want to relate with someone else, and many different kinds of relationship. This is an open enquiry type that does not assume the presence or absence of any feature of a personal relationship, and therefore is well suited for the very common “would like to meet” kind of enquiry. It covers shared interests, activities and learning as well, as equal partners.

In some cases, a shared interest between individuals could lead to the formation of an established group, which could then use the joining enquiry type to find more people to join the group.

Asking a question about potential intimacy should serve to separate those looking for no more than sharing interests, activities or “just friendship” from those explicitly seeking an intimate or couple relationship. However, putting these all together recognises that there are no strict dividing lines between these categories.

Money would not be explicitly involved in the relationship – if money were involved, the “Individuals helping individuals” type should be used.

• Features: learning, life; no money; low to high commitment
• Parties relate symmetrically: individuals of equal status
• Compulsory questions: desired/acceptable degree of closeness/intimacy

Some motivations for using this type; people who:

• want to find friends
• want to find relationship partners (as many dating or introduction services do)
• want to find people with a shared interest of any kind
• want to find someone to share some leisure or sporting activity – bird-watching; tennis; chess; whatever

Some dating sites cover this range, some only find relationship partners. The essence of what can bring people together here as peers is some mutual interest or motivation, and it is vital to distinguish this from cases where one person is asking for or offering a service — that comes under helping.

These are simply what occurs to me, serving as an initial pointer to the area. Many other questions are possible. The order in which these are listed is not at all significant.

• Location
• Age range
• Existing family
• Ex-family
• Position in life
  • developmental level
• Gender identity
• Specific interest
• Specific skills or abilities
  • language
• Wealth; resources
  • houses
• Possessions
  • vehicles / machines
  • animals
• Occupation or profession
• Income
• Reproductive capacity

• Focus of the relationship
  • shared specific interest or activity
  • learning / development
  • exploration
  • “romance”
• Envisaged timescales
  • duration of relationship
  • intensity: proportion of time together
• Degree of exclusivity
  • fully open, non-exclusive
  • open in some ways
  • exclusive
• Degree of intimacy: what is wanted / accepted
  • remote conversation or activity
  • face-to-face conversation / physical activity
  • non-sexual clothed normal social touch including hugs
  • skin-to-skin contact; non-sexual massage
  • some sexuality as agreed
  • open but non-reproductive sexuality
  • potentially reproductive sexuality