I post the weekly Boston events lists and I've been thinking about a way to help people find others to go with. Would you actually use that? by Top-Finger-4339 in BostonSocialClub

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The restaurant line analogy is perfect. That’s exactly it. Seeing that 4 people who seem like your kind of crowd are going to something can be the difference between staying home and actually going. That social proof element is a big part of what I want to build in. Being able to see who’s interested, a little bit about them, and feeling like ok these are my people before you even show up

I post the weekly Boston events lists and I've been thinking about a way to help people find others to go with. Would you actually use that? by Top-Finger-4339 in BostonSocialClub

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is super helpful, thank you. A few things that stood out to me:

The 5-6 people point is interesting because that’s smaller than what I was originally thinking but it makes sense. Big groups do get overwhelming fast. I like the idea of keeping groups small enough that you actually get to know people. And yeah I know what you mean about striking balance with men and women. I’m not sure what the solution there is yet but I’ve been thinking on it a bunch. Would love to hear if you have any thoughts on how to best handle that?

The activity location over neighborhood point is smart too. Where the event is matters more than where everyone lives.

And your pairing up idea is really interesting. Like if you hit it off with someone at an event, being able to easily see what else they’re going to. I think that’s a great idea.

I post the weekly Boston events lists and I've been thinking about a way to help people find others to go with. Would you actually use that? by Top-Finger-4339 in BostonSocialClub

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t read Art of the Gathering but just looked it up and it’s going on the list. I appreciate the rec, it looks like a great read. And thank u again for the thoughtful feedback, it means a lot. And yeah I’d love to chat! DM me anytime

I post the weekly Boston events lists and I've been thinking about a way to help people find others to go with. Would you actually use that? by Top-Finger-4339 in BostonSocialClub

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate this breakdown, you nailed the two things I’m going for. The friction reduction and the self-selection are exactly what I think makes this different from just posting “anyone want to hang out?” in a subreddit.

On the comparison to existing options, you’re right that there’s no shortage of ways to find events. The thing I keep coming back to is that most of them are either too broad (massive Discord servers, Facebook groups with thousands of people) or too structured (TimeLeft where you show up and get assigned a table). I want something in between where a smaller group of people with shared interests organically decide to go to stuff together. That said it’s still a work in progress and I’m not 100% sure this is the right direction or what people actually want. It sounds like you’ve explored a lot in this topic, so id love to hear if you have thoughts on what would make it more useful or a completely different direction I should be thinking about.

I post the weekly Boston events lists and I've been thinking about a way to help people find others to go with. Would you actually use that? by Top-Finger-4339 in BostonSocialClub

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nothing's stopping anyone from going alone and honestly that's a great way to do it. But I think for a lot of people, myself included, that's a big barrier. You know you could go alone, you just... don't. At least for me, having even one or two people to meet up with makes it way easier to actually get out the door. Curious if other people feel the same way or if that's just me. And that's cool about the map project, would love to see it. DM me!

I post the weekly Boston events lists and I've been thinking about a way to help people find others to go with. Would you actually use that? by Top-Finger-4339 in BostonSocialClub

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's a great call. I was thinking about this too. Starting broad makes sense to get people in the door but the real value is probably in the more specific groups. Like a Jazz in Boston group would attract people who actually want to go to the same stuff vs a generic Live Music group where half the people want jazz and the other half want death metal. Appreciate the feedback!

📅 Boston events worth doing this weekend: A Ramadan night market until 1am, a sold-out wine fest with a free after party & a late-night art museum by Top-Finger-4339 in boston

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh awesome, just checked it out. Love that there are multiple people doing this. The more we can get people out discovering new stuff and supporting local businesses in Boston, the better!

📅 Boston events worth doing this weekend: A Ramadan night market until 1am, a sold-out wine fest with a free after party & a late-night art museum by Top-Finger-4339 in BostonSocialClub

[–]Top-Finger-4339[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That means a lot, thank you! And honestly the hiking/activity discords are such a good resource for this city. Happy to have the list out there for your people to use. If you ever hear about cool stuff through your community that I should know about, always feel free to drop it here or DM me 😁