Bamboo vs Secret Tel Aviv
The Anglo community's giant noticeboard - or a way to actually meet the people on it?
Secret Tel Aviv is an institution: the Facebook group and site where Tel Aviv's English-speaking community trades flats, jobs, events and recommendations. As a noticeboard, nothing beats it. But a noticeboard doesn't introduce you to anyone: thousands of posts a day, zero deliberate introductions. Bamboo is the step after you've read the post - actually meeting the person, matched by interests, goals and city, in a community where every member was reviewed.
Join Bamboo - freeBamboo and Secret Tel Aviv, side by side
| Criterion | Secret Tel Aviv | Bamboo |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A huge group + noticeboard | A vetted community with personal matching |
| Meeting people | Post and hope someone replies | Deliberate matching by interests and goals |
| Who is in | Anyone who joined the group | Members reviewed one by one |
| Noise | Thousands of posts, Facebook's algorithm | A ping only when there is a real match |
| The output | Information: a flat, a job, an event | A meeting: a coffee, a table, a friendship |
Where Secret Tel Aviv falls short
- Built for information, not acquaintance - there is no mechanism that connects people
- The group's size is its noise - a post is buried within the hour
- No vetting - anyone is in, with no real profile
- You see what Facebook's algorithm picks, not what matters to you
What Bamboo gives you
- Deliberate introductions to people matched to you - not a post into the void
- A vetted community where every member was personally approved
- From match to real-world meetup - a coffee or a small table, not a comment thread
- Hebrew and English - a bridge between the Anglo and Israeli communities
Ready to actually meet people?
Bamboo matches you with the right people and moves you to a real meetup - in your city, free.
Join the waitlist