Can you make the zone adaptive so there are always at least a few people there?
The app is called hoody (https://hoody.im) and I can't wait to post it to HN. I was actually a bit bummed to see this as I figured they had _just_ beaten me to the post, but in fact our apps are slightly different.
It's anonymous, with auto-generated nicknames as well, but the chat areas are dynamic based on activity in your area. So if no one is using it, it goes worldwide, and shrinks down as people around you are active (country level, city level, suburb), down to a minimum of around 700 metres.
Look for it on HN in the next couple days! ;)
All the best! and looking forward to your launch on HN
By increasing the range until there is activity, it gives it a way to get off the ground and a way for it to work for people who aren't packed in a city.
Because as of now I'm not perusing making any money from the app, I opted to test the feasibility of the core idea. Talking to local people. One could of course argue that I could deviate from this slightly (variable range) to reach this critical mass.
Adapting the radius to match the number of people available seems like a great idea. If there's only one person within 1km, step up to 2km, 3km, etc. until some number X of people are available. If there are too many people, step back down.