4 ms·

What does Upcoming.org do better than Facebook, Google+, and Meetup.com?

by Raphael 12y ago

tarekmoz 12y ago
The page says : ...An open API, an embrace of open standards, and a belief that your data belongs to you...
- msie 12y ago
  Can I build a commercial product on that API without licensing fees or restrictions?
drgath 12y ago
As someone who pays Meetup.com $144 a year for my group, I'd love to have a cheaper alternative.
scelerat 12y ago
For starters, it's not Facebook or Google+. Many people are looking for ways to be less dependent on FB and Google+. If the Upcoming folk shape this the right way, both in product design and pitch, they will capture people who are tired of creepily pervasive social networks but still want to set up events easily.
- alaskamiller 12y ago
  Who are these magical unicorns? Because it's starting to feel like outrage porn to point out how people just don't want to invite themselves to a Facebook event.
  - parennoob 12y ago
    Since you use the phrase "magical unicorns" -- I know 10-15 people (and not just 'tech' people; they work in different fields like art, writing, etc.) who refuse to use Facebook because it erodes privacy and atrophies your brain (which I personally think is a very sensible position, even though I use Facebook). Every time there is some event, other people chide them for not having a Facebook, "Oh, you are too snobbish to have a Facebook, how do I even invite you to this.". If nothing else, upcoming.org seems like it would solve that problem -- specially if it allows stuff like easy event imports from Facebook.
    - wuliwong 12y ago
      I don't see how this would solve the problem. What would motivate Facebook users to import the events to upcoming.org? These are people who already have traded privacy for convenience. Hate for Facebook is only motivation for the people that hate Facebook. Are their enough magical unicorns to motivate the added effort of posting events twice? Total internet users - facebook users is pretty small, especially in the US. There are also sites like creative loafing (Atlanta) or various other city paper like publications which have local events. They tend to be pretty "artsy". Facebook certainly isn't the only place to find these events. These sites/publications have appeal beyond just being an event calendar. I believe their hope is that they can capitalize on whatever name recognition they have left. Maybe they'll pull it off, this guy has obviously had success in the past.
    - alaskamiller 12y ago
      I remember Upcoming.org from 2003, back then it was a problem needing a solution but within a few years it was already pointless like plancast or the variety of other event listings and invitation systems. There are events your friends want you to show up. Whether that message is sent via Facebook, email, text, paper, or face to face is irrelevant. If you are wanted there, you will be there. There are events you want friends of friends to show up. Facebook facilities this quite well, and if you don't have a Facebook account to do so but they still want you there, well, you'll likely be there. Then there are events you want strangers to show up. Facebook serves this quite well. If the events require a ticket, Eventbrite's got that covered. If it's a business event then your Gcal or Outlook has it covered. In this landscape, where does upcoming.org, where does an anti-Facebook solution stand? And is it enough to cover payroll? Because snobbishness aside--I don't own a TV because TV atrophies your brain when I can create art because I'm artist--this... really isn't a problem anymore.
      - lhl 12y ago
        The scenario where Upcoming excelled, or at least the one that that seemed to "convert" users and why I think 10yrs later it's still so fondly remembered (looking at the response on Twitter has been nice) is when Upcoming told you about that event that you didn't know about and would have kicked yourself for missing ("if only I had known this thing I would have loved to go to was happening last night!"). Over the years I experienced this first hand many times (regrettably, also a lot of "can't go, too busy working on Upcoming"), but I haven't seen anything since that's provided the sort of social+interest-based serendipity that Upcoming did in its heyday. A lot of times in the past few years when I've been traveling I've wish there was something like Upcoming that could recommend the most interesting things to do in a city that night (like 4SQ or Yelp for events).
  - yawn 12y ago
    Magical Unicorns don't exist. People who distrust Facebook do, including my entire development team (5). It's not outrage porn to worry about the privacy practices (or lack thereof) of these companies.
  - sbarre 12y ago
    I don't use Facebook (for reasons much more mundane than any other hyperbolic "evil" privacy stuff), and events are probably the single biggest thing I tend to miss out on (or find out about at the last minute) because of that. So I am definitely looking forward to Upcoming's return.
crystaln 12y ago
Lots of things. For starters: Facebook is pretty limited for broad event promotion. Google+ - really? who is looking for events there? Meetup.com - expensive and really only for small-medium groups, not events
neilk 12y ago
It's been 10 years since Upcoming was created, and the site is dead right now, so, obviously one answer is "nothing". However, let's timewarp to 2004-2007 or so. Upcoming created the model for an events site tied to a social network, and since it was first, you could find almost any kind of event from a personal party to a stadium rock concert there. Upcoming had very broad capabilities for tagging, geotagging, searching, following, and being notified about public events. It really shone for aficionados of particular music scenes in geographic areas, and for people who liked going to tech conferences. And knowing the events your friends are going to - or even thinking about going to - also helped catalyze attendance. Lots of other products found niches that had special needs (for instance, Lanyrd or EventBrite), and Facebook completely owns casual events like barbecues and stuff. But nobody's done an events site that had quite the same mix of community and capability. Most of the sites who wanted to grab the Upcoming-esque market were focused on monetizing through profiling users, and then selling ads, or special offers for tickets. Seems like it should work, but it doesn't seem to have panned out. (Also, I know this may shock people, but Ticketmaster is really difficult to work with.) However, it's not the tech capabilities that people really miss, it's the community. And probably most people are betting on Andy Baio. He is a well-trusted person who is a passionate fan of independent art and culture, and has a history of creating wonderful communities - like Upcoming, KickStarter, and XOXO.

What does Upcoming.org do better than Facebook, Google+, and Meetup.com?

by Raphael 12y ago

What does Upcoming.org do better than Facebook, Google+, and Meetup.com?

tarekmoz 12y ago

The page says : ...An open API, an embrace of open standards, and a belief that your data belongs to you...

msie 12y ago
Can I build a commercial product on that API without licensing fees or restrictions?

drgath 12y ago

As someone who pays Meetup.com $144 a year for my group, I'd love to have a cheaper alternative.

scelerat 12y ago

For starters, it's not Facebook or Google+. Many people are looking for ways to be less dependent on FB and Google+. If the Upcoming folk shape this the right way, both in product design and pitch, they will capture people who are tired of creepily pervasive social networks but still want to set up events easily.

alaskamiller 12y ago
Who are these magical unicorns? Because it's starting to feel like outrage porn to point out how people just don't want to invite themselves to a Facebook event.
- parennoob 12y ago
  Since you use the phrase "magical unicorns" -- I know 10-15 people (and not just 'tech' people; they work in different fields like art, writing, etc.) who refuse to use Facebook because it erodes privacy and atrophies your brain (which I personally think is a very sensible position, even though I use Facebook). Every time there is some event, other people chide them for not having a Facebook, "Oh, you are too snobbish to have a Facebook, how do I even invite you to this.". If nothing else, upcoming.org seems like it would solve that problem -- specially if it allows stuff like easy event imports from Facebook.
  - wuliwong 12y ago
    I don't see how this would solve the problem. What would motivate Facebook users to import the events to upcoming.org? These are people who already have traded privacy for convenience. Hate for Facebook is only motivation for the people that hate Facebook. Are their enough magical unicorns to motivate the added effort of posting events twice? Total internet users - facebook users is pretty small, especially in the US. There are also sites like creative loafing (Atlanta) or various other city paper like publications which have local events. They tend to be pretty "artsy". Facebook certainly isn't the only place to find these events. These sites/publications have appeal beyond just being an event calendar. I believe their hope is that they can capitalize on whatever name recognition they have left. Maybe they'll pull it off, this guy has obviously had success in the past.
  - alaskamiller 12y ago
    I remember Upcoming.org from 2003, back then it was a problem needing a solution but within a few years it was already pointless like plancast or the variety of other event listings and invitation systems. There are events your friends want you to show up. Whether that message is sent via Facebook, email, text, paper, or face to face is irrelevant. If you are wanted there, you will be there. There are events you want friends of friends to show up. Facebook facilities this quite well, and if you don't have a Facebook account to do so but they still want you there, well, you'll likely be there. Then there are events you want strangers to show up. Facebook serves this quite well. If the events require a ticket, Eventbrite's got that covered. If it's a business event then your Gcal or Outlook has it covered. In this landscape, where does upcoming.org, where does an anti-Facebook solution stand? And is it enough to cover payroll? Because snobbishness aside--I don't own a TV because TV atrophies your brain when I can create art because I'm artist--this... really isn't a problem anymore.
    - lhl 12y ago
      The scenario where Upcoming excelled, or at least the one that that seemed to "convert" users and why I think 10yrs later it's still so fondly remembered (looking at the response on Twitter has been nice) is when Upcoming told you about that event that you didn't know about and would have kicked yourself for missing ("if only I had known this thing I would have loved to go to was happening last night!"). Over the years I experienced this first hand many times (regrettably, also a lot of "can't go, too busy working on Upcoming"), but I haven't seen anything since that's provided the sort of social+interest-based serendipity that Upcoming did in its heyday. A lot of times in the past few years when I've been traveling I've wish there was something like Upcoming that could recommend the most interesting things to do in a city that night (like 4SQ or Yelp for events).
- yawn 12y ago
  Magical Unicorns don't exist. People who distrust Facebook do, including my entire development team (5). It's not outrage porn to worry about the privacy practices (or lack thereof) of these companies.
- sbarre 12y ago
  I don't use Facebook (for reasons much more mundane than any other hyperbolic "evil" privacy stuff), and events are probably the single biggest thing I tend to miss out on (or find out about at the last minute) because of that. So I am definitely looking forward to Upcoming's return.

crystaln 12y ago

Lots of things. For starters: Facebook is pretty limited for broad event promotion. Google+ - really? who is looking for events there? Meetup.com - expensive and really only for small-medium groups, not events

neilk 12y ago

It's been 10 years since Upcoming was created, and the site is dead right now, so, obviously one answer is "nothing". However, let's timewarp to 2004-2007 or so. Upcoming created the model for an events site tied to a social network, and since it was first, you could find almost any kind of event from a personal party to a stadium rock concert there. Upcoming had very broad capabilities for tagging, geotagging, searching, following, and being notified about public events. It really shone for aficionados of particular music scenes in geographic areas, and for people who liked going to tech conferences. And knowing the events your friends are going to - or even thinking about going to - also helped catalyze attendance. Lots of other products found niches that had special needs (for instance, Lanyrd or EventBrite), and Facebook completely owns casual events like barbecues and stuff. But nobody's done an events site that had quite the same mix of community and capability. Most of the sites who wanted to grab the Upcoming-esque market were focused on monetizing through profiling users, and then selling ads, or special offers for tickets. Seems like it should work, but it doesn't seem to have panned out. (Also, I know this may shock people, but Ticketmaster is really difficult to work with.) However, it's not the tech capabilities that people really miss, it's the community. And probably most people are betting on Andy Baio. He is a well-trusted person who is a passionate fan of independent art and culture, and has a history of creating wonderful communities - like Upcoming, KickStarter, and XOXO.