Finally, a way to answer that burning “What is there to do tonight?” question while at the same time answering the “I wonder what people I know are doing tonight?”question, with the added bonus of visiting one website. Gone are the days of surfing the websites of multiple venues and newspaper calendar listings of events to seek out something to do. Welcome SCHEDit to the market, which launched on February 2 on Boston.com, its first partner.
How It Works
Using your Facebook account, log in to the new events site at Boston.com. Choose a username and profile picture, add some information about yourself to your profile, and start choosing venues that you frequent or would like to keep an eye on. Once you've done this, you are directed to a page with listings tailored to you, showing the events happening at the locations you've chosen while registering.
Not only will SCHEDit show you what's happening at your favorite nighttime hangout, it will show you a list of people that have already scheduled it. Maybe you aren't sure whether or not you want to go to a Sheila Divine concert tomorrow night, but upon checking the listing, you see that four of your friends are attending and change your mind.
Start SCHED-ing
When you see an event you are interested in, click the “SCHEDit” button. Your picture is added to the list of attendees, and the listing is added to the “My Events” page, a handy place to view all of the things you planned on attending in one place. Easily export your events to Google, Outlook, or Yahoo to assure you don't miss a thing. You also have the option to post to Facebook or Twitter, as well as email your friends, so you can alert those that are interested that you will be attending. This is a great way to gather up a group of friends to enjoy the experience with you.
All of the venues you have selected in the registration process creates a customized feed full of all of the things you are interested in, and can be updated at any time. This is what makes this program so useful. No more searching newspaper listings, cluttered with uninteresting events and activities. Imagine not having to bounce from website to website, in an effort to see all there is to do in Boston (which can be a lot depending on the night.) You can also choose to follow other users, a great way to keep an eye on the things your friends are doing each night.
Reminiscent of Hotlist
Some will say this is just like Hotlist, but if you look at the difference in listings on each site, it is plain to see that they are different. Hotlist shows you a list of where people will be, but it doesn't tell you why. You can see who's bowling at the local bowling alley or visiting a pub, although it won't tell you whether or not there is entertainment at that pub. SCHEDit is unique in that it tells you why, specifically, people will be at a certain location. They are at the Paradise to see Sheila Devine, not just at the Paradise for some mysterious reason. This adds value to the service in a way Hotlist just doesn't.
The people behind SCHEDit were very wise to partner up with Boston.com, and plan to do the same using publications from other locations. This allows them to jump into the market with a substantial list of event seekers already in place, rather than having to draw them in one by one, which can be costly. If you are in the Boston area, give SCHEDit it a try by registering at {{http://boston.com|Boston.com}} today, and watch for SCHEDit to be launched in other areas soon.