The following features may be helpful...

- For all activities/events posted, being able to RSVP (yes, may be, no) on the web site would be nice.
- The RSVP be publicly visible; anyone can see which members have confirmed that they will be at the Event (this way, folks can know which event to go to meet someone they have been looking fwd to meeting). The may be and no should also be visible.
- Along with RSVP, a member be able to leave any comments on the RSVP page (for example: I will be driving. Anyone need a ride?)
- RSVP feature can allow the Event organizer to put a maximum number that the Event can accomodate (perhaps, even allow for wait list option). The web site could automatic count the confirmed attendees and spots still available.
- Allow for payment with Google checkout or Paypal or other payment methods (in case there are some sunk or reservation costs that needs to be shared by the attendees). Glocals could probably even strike a deal with these payment companies to share the service fee.
- RSVP page offer maps, directions, links to public transport, contact info, etc. (useful to other members even after the event is over). Perhaps, one should be able to forward any or all of this useful information.

- Send a reminder email a day before the event to everyone who registered with a yes or may be.

After the event
- RSVP page could summarize who actually attended, who was a no-show, etc. (giving the no-show a chance to comment with their reasons if they want to)
- Link to the discussion and blogs relating to the event
- Link to pictures and commentary
colorado, Feb 19, 2008 @ 19:43

I am not an active event organizer in here, but i do still organize small events :)

so here's my take

1) Calendar, make it possible to have recurrent invites sent all at once (like in outlook calendar)

RSVP - the Facebook way is perfect for me

you can ecide if people are allowed ti bring guests, or not

If you want them ro RSVP or not (by default yes)

you have space to comment on your answer, the list of people that are invited and accepted or are tentative is visible etc.

Vale
Hoiling, Feb 19, 2008 @ 20:28

To decrease the "No show", it will be good if the person who organize the event, can rate all the people who respond "i'm attending this event"... (same process than ebay for the buyer/seller)



And This rating appear on the profil



After may be a lot of "no show" stop "to participate" at a event and don't come... (or e-mail to apologize) ;-)
silverwolf, Feb 19, 2008 @ 21:28

Thanks alot guys for the very useful input.

I understand why its important to see who is attending, but why do you think its important to also see the people who are not attending or maybe attending?

Also, do you think its necessary to allow the organizer to approve/decline people who want to join, or is it enough to just allow him/her to decide whether or not rsvp is required?

Thanks again

Oded
SiteAdmin Oded, Feb 20, 2008 @ 10:54

I often organise small events which have limited numbers. So rsvp's to me definitely do NOT mean that the person will be allowed to attend the event.  I always email participants to tell them yes or no.

I guess ideally I would like people to rsvp to me, then for me to have a choice of two options:

1. confirm them as attendees and give them further details
2. reply to them to say that unfortunately they can't come this time

I would love to have some sort of reminder system to email those who are confirmed to remind them.

Kiriel
Kiriel, Feb 20, 2008 @ 12:38

To see and accept on RSVP's - It's easier than sending a 'sorry we're full' email if we have limited numbers and people reply quickly.  I don't think it's rude to accept an invitation rather than someone just announce 'I'm coming' - I sometimes then reply 'No you're not' if I don't want them there!  Nothing rude about that!

Also an outbox would be useful to keep track of who you replied to and what was said.

keep emails longer than 30 days...forever would be nice... not that I'll be around forever, but it's sometimes handy to check back on things.

An 'Activity board' - like fb's 'Wall' this is useful to post one message once that all activity goers can refer to for new information and/or conversations between each other.

A 'Confirmed' list - showing who has been accepted to attend the activity, so other members can see who they'll be spending time with.

Hope that helps.

Dean.
Deano1uk, Feb 20, 2008 @ 12:43

It'd be nice if the action of me confirming participants added them automatically to a list that I could view to track who is coming. The list should be 'live', ie. names connected to a profile, and editable in the sense that someone might cancel and I would want to be able to remove them from the list, and replace them with someone else.

Hmm... putting the wishlist in simpler form...

1. I post up event
2. People rsvp from within the event notice
3. This puts them onto a tracking list, in order of time/date of rsvp
4. I confirm or deny their 'booking' (tick boxes to do group send?)
5. Tracking list splits into two: 'confirmed' and 'denied'
6. I am able to remove, add and move people within the tracking list
7. Confirmed list includes a button I can press to send a reminder message to all
8. List shows whether a reminder message has been sent and to whom.
9. List is 'live' so it has links to the participant's profiles
10. After the event I can quickly and easily 'tick the box' to show that the participants turned up (tick box beside each name, but one at the top of the list that allows me to select all)

Kiriel
Kiriel, Feb 20, 2008 @ 12:50

Thakns again guys.

This is pretty much what we have in mind (probbaly without the payment options and some of the other more complex suggestions for now)

Still trying to figure out whether or not we should allow/force people who want to attend to include a message to the organizer when they ask to attend, and if yes, where this message goes ('inbox'? 'People who want to attend' page?)

I know this seems like a minor details, but its just one of the things we need to decide/design/program

Will wait for more input, and will soon start working.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply guys.  We appreciate it alot.

Oded
SiteAdmin Oded, Feb 20, 2008 @ 13:01

what i like about the FB way of dealing with activities is:

1) I create the activity. I decide if i want it to be public and open (everyone can bring someone else  and forward the invite, like for a big party). Or if i want only people i invite and i want to accept their friends (and yes i think that is a good option. Depends on the type of activity i might not want some people there, i might want to keep it restricted. or just being a control freak and approve whoever wants to come) and in some cases if i want the activity to be secret (as in i invite only some friends and i don't want others to know. I know it's against the glocal spirit but it comes handy and it's easier then just email people on glocals)

2) I can decide if the RSVP is required or not

3) I can email everyone that has been invited, only the people that accepted, only the maybes, etc etc

4) it's easy to keep track of my events (when i am invited)  they show up in my calendar of events so i don't double book myself

5) I think it's usefull to see who says yes no or maybe to an event. In a mature world we would all go somewhere not based on who's going and who's not. But let's face it, most of the people are not. They wanna go where their friends are going, or maybe going and where they know that people they don't wanna see are definetly NOT going.

So for someone attending an event. .. i think it's good to see who said yes, who said maybe .. if some of your friends are in the maybe's list you can decide what to do etc ... and as organizer i like to know who says yes and who says maybe and maybe ask them why maybe ....

Vale
Hoiling, Feb 20, 2008 @ 14:30

A lot of ideas. I like most of them.

I like giving the organizer the ability to accept and confirm attendees.

- Perhaps, when an Activity is posted, the RSVP button should allow members to register. The organizer should be able to pick the categories of registration - yes, no, may be, and yeah!, you can come unannounced. :cool: Some organizers may want members to register either yes or no. Others may be more flexible.

- The registration should allow the organizer the ability to confirm anyone who has registered under "Yes." Once confirmed, the member should be listed under confirmed participants.

- Any member who is in the confirmed category should be able to change his or her participation to "may be" or "no." We are all busy people, and sometimes things come up that necessitate us to change our plans. If a member knows 48 hours before the event that he or she can not make it, the web site should allow this member to reflect his or her changed plans.

[quote][b]SiteAdmin (20/02/2008)[/b][hr]Thanks alot guys for the very useful input. I understand why its important to see who is attending, but why do you think its important to also see the people who are not attending or maybe attending?

Oded[/quote]

If someone has changed his or her plans and therefore is not attending, displaying this information can help other participants who were expecting to meet this person, or share a ride, or whatever. This may be useful when it is semi-serious plus semi-fun activity (for example, entrepreneurs and investors club or exchange-business-cards or sleepless-in-geneva event :P).

The maybe category can show who might be interested, but are unable to participate because they do not have a ride or hiking gear or something else. These "maybe members" could post a message such as - I am interested, but need a ride to join. Other members could read this note and offer help.

Now, one idea suggested above... that I urge us to rethink - one that labels someone's profile. I feel uncomfortable with labeling anyone as reliable or unreliable - these words mean more than no-show and always-shows-up. I urge that Glocals avoid such character judgments. Lets be firm, but respecfully gentle.

I understand, and agree, that there needs to be a mechanism to find who is a habitual no-show. Perhaps, Glocals can modify each member's profile page such that it lists the last ten activities the member registered for, and last ten activities that the member attended (with links to the pictures or Activity Feedback page). Additionally, it would be nice if the member can post his or her explanation or apology on Activity Feedback page if they were a no-show.

With best wishes, Colorado
colorado, Feb 20, 2008 @ 16:43

[quote][b]SiteAdmin (20/02/2008)[/b][hr]Thakns again guys.



Stilltrying to figure out whetheror not we should allow/force people who want to attend toinclude a message to the organizer when they ask to attend, and if yes, where this message goes ('inbox'? 'People who want to attend' page?)



Oded[/quote]



Yes, allow people to include a message (but do not force). The message should be posted on the Activity page. Let others read. Two reasons -



One, it may make the whole experience more intimate and community like; could be useful for new members who are trying to figure out how to participate.



Two, it may mean more visitors to Glocals and more visit time per member. All this may help with ad revenue and attract new advertisers.



If you want to be super-nice, allow the Activity Organizer the option to not receive or receive messages into their email box.
colorado, Feb 20, 2008 @ 17:25

Or why not the possibility same than the chat, to add in a personal "blacklist" the people who respond "attending" a lot at a event and no show...

No jugement in the profil of "no show member" :-) , no problem...! And for the person who organize a lot of event (Julian, Scotdave...) can block whitout show at all members these people :-)
silverwolf, Feb 20, 2008 @ 19:05

When I run a sushi making workshop I have in the past charged just for ingredients. I have been out of pocket every single time because of no-show-ers. So now I have to charge enough that I don't make a loss if someone doesn't come, making it more expensive for those good people who turn up as promised. I am pretty laid back, and if am given notice can pretty much always find someone on my waiting list willing to turn up at the last minute, but I do have to be given notice, and I often don't get that. Kinda rotten when there are people queuing for a place!



The problem of no-show-ers has been discussed in great depth, without a perfect solution being found. The "name and shame" solution is a bit more drastic true, and not gentle, but sometimes the problem IS drastic. I had an evening function that I organised that I ended up on the night having to pay 300 euro out of my pocket for no-show-ers. (we booked out the restaurant and I had to pay for dinner for all those booked who didn't come). Now I had luck; at my request the no-show-ers did pay me back, but if they hadn't been such well behaved people I would have been [b]seriously [/b]out of pocket. As it was, I was out of pocket for a few weeks.



On the programming front: Oded: yes people should have the opportunity to write a message, but not have to, when they rsvp.



hugs



Kiriel
Kiriel, Feb 20, 2008 @ 20:47

everything's been said already. just a point on what silverwolf said:



[quote][b]silverwolf (20/02/2008)[/b][hr]Or why not the possibility same than the chat, to add in a personal "blacklist" the people who respond "attending" a lot at a event and no show...



No jugement in the profil of "no show member" :-) , no problem...! And for the person who organize a lot of event (Julian, Scotdave...) can block whitout show at all members these people :-)[/quote]



i think the blacklist could be a good idea, but there would then need to be some kind of system that automatically generates a msg for those blacklisted who sign up, so that they know it's not gonna happen...

Minda, Feb 22, 2008 @ 14:35

[quote]1. If we add an RSVP function, do you think that we need to allow/force people who RSVP to an activity to add a message to the organizer when they rsvp?

2. Would most of the activities you organize allow an open rsvp - meaning that anyone could join, or would you want the ability to see who wants to join, and then decide who you want to accept? (I know this does not sound very friendly, but its something we need to ask)

3.  Anything else you want/need to make your lives as organizers/participants easier.[/quote]

First, tahbnks in advance for the improvements! Organizers are looking forward to them I'm sure. To answer your questions:

1/ it should be "optionally compulsory". I mean, the organiser should be able to select if participants :
- can only use the "attending" checkbox
- can post reply (optional)
- must post reply (if email address, car sharing or other info are needed)

2/ once again, depends on the activity, and should be selected by the organizer:
- open to all
- first come first serve (with number of attendee / places left)
- validation needed (checking first on required criteria, such as gender parity, cars availibility, valid paragliding licence, etc)

3/ I would personaly add an activity status, like:
- temptative
- confirmed
- FULL
- canceled / rescheduled

Ideally, the temptative status could turn into confirmed manually or once the minimum number of participants is reached. Members should be allowed to cancel participation untill the event status and registration are locked. No show should just be tagged with a checkbox, and treatment left to the site admin appreciation, or based on an automated "once, emailed, twice, warned, three times, banned" engine.

I have mixed feelings about showing who's coming. I don't want 10 blokes to attend a knitting night only because "StunningSingleFemaleMe" has registered. I don't want "UglyDesparateChasingMe" to register to all the events I go, only because she's already failed hooking any of the 6'364 other male singles before me. But I'd like to see if my friends have registered to an event. Ideally, both participants and organisers should decide if the participants list / their name should be visible, and to whom: everyone, friends, other registered members (after registration), no one.

Ideally, a mailing list of registered should be created, or even maybe a dedicated private forum, to keep everyone posted / allow easy car sharing / discussions / exchanges.

All those "ideal" ideas are complex, I'm fully aware. The closer the better, but I know that all of that would be very complex. But as already said, Facebook is a pretty nice system for that, but maybe a bit too complex btw.

Hope it helps.
Hobbes, Feb 26, 2008 @ 13:17

Thanks alot guys, for the great great input.

What about Inviting people / forwarding the activity?

When you post an activity, do you usualy forward it to all of the people in your Friends network?

If yes, would the people you invite always be able to sign up, or would they also need to 'ask to join' and then be approved/denied by you?

Thanks again

Oded
SiteAdmin Oded, Feb 26, 2008 @ 14:03

What about Inviting people / forwarding the activity?
It's a great functionality and should be kept.

When you post an activity, do you usualy forward it to all of the people in your Friends network?
I usually forward my activities to some people. Either a specific group (musicians, sailors, dancing keens, closer friends, french speaking ones, the ones who asked me to be posted about the next tree climbing activity, etc) or most of my friends, left apart the ones abroad, sick or otherwise unavailable on the activity date. But sometimes, I'm just lazy or stressed, and forward it to anyone, may they have been away and offline for 5 months. Here, having mailing groups would reaaaaaly help a lot. If I could select all the guitar players / jazz lovers / tree climbers at once, it's be a hughe time saver and spamm prevention tool. 

If yes, would the people you invite always be able to sign up, or would they also need to 'ask to join' and then be approved/denied by you?
Yes, I think they should be approved as any other members if a validation process is ongoing. For instance, let's say I want to organise a badmington tournament for serious players. But how could I know who / if any of my contact can play at an advanced level? I'll post the event as tentative with no set date first, and maybe forward it to my fit looking friends, asking them to, obligatory, suggest some dates and let me know their level of expertise (world champion/ school champion/ better than blind). But I'll have to validate their registration anyway. Because if one of them read my post too fast (yes, some do :D) and assumed it was another "relaxed beach games" afternoon, that won't do.
Hobbes, Feb 26, 2008 @ 15:18

Again in this case, love the FB approach (which i don't find THAT complex, might be the age gap Hobbes!!)

When u organize an idea you can decide if you want to invite everyone or just some people (and the people invited are automatically allowed to sign up RSVP). And also decide if they can bring guests or not, and IF the guests they bring can be open or needs to be approved by the event organizer, and IF they can forward the invite to friends (and again in this case if it's open invitation - sign up and u are in - or if the organizer need to approve). I hate whatever gets automatically sent to my friends, i want to be able to choose if i want to spam them or not ...

Maybe i am just a control freak and I like choosing who i want to invite/allow to the parties (even thou most of the time i just open them to everyone).

V
Hoiling, Feb 26, 2008 @ 15:25

Thanks again guys.

One more question -

Where would you expect to see the messages from people asking to join, and the messages you send back to them?

In Your Inbox/Outbox?  In some different 'Activities Inbox'?

Oded
SiteAdmin Oded, Feb 26, 2008 @ 15:32

In short: separated. In more details, please see here: http://www.glocals.com/forums/FindPost29819.aspx
Hobbes, Feb 26, 2008 @ 16:01